When We Were Just Friends
by curlyandforks
Summary: Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Forever together. Deamus story, credit to J.K. for HP world, to me for storyline. This is just my adaption - this is a story just by Forks, and another story published by curlyandforks is called A Different Perspective is just by Curly, and all the others are written by both of us (except The Moon and Star, by me, Forks) enjoy and please review! ;)
1. Chapter 1

When We Were Only Friends

Chapter 1

Seamus

Have you ever had that feeling that you're being watched? Well that's the feeling I had as I turned away from the window of the Hogwarts Express after waving goodbye to my mother, who stood with tears running down her pale face on platform 9 3/4. She had been ecstatic when I had received my letter; being a half-blood she wasn't sure I'd be magical or not. My father hadn't wanted to come and see me off, which was a great disappointment to my dear mother. Dad was hoping I'd be 'normal', I'm sure. Well, I'm glad I'm a wizard. I wouldn't have met the best friend I'd ever have if I wasn't.

Anyway, I was trying my very hardest to find a seat, when I tripped on a rouge owl cage, and ended up sprawled on the floor of the carriage. Head throbbing, I pushed myself up. The light was suddenly blinding, and I had to shut my eyes tightly to stop myself from fainting.

"Are you alright?" a soft, sweet voice asked me from what seemed to be a mile away.

"Yes, I-I'm alright, I think." I muttered. I opened my eyes to find a tall, dark-skinned boy holding out a hand to help me up. I took his hand and he hoisted me up with surprising strength for such a slender boy.

"Dean Matais Thomas. Nice to meet you." He grinned widely at me.

"Seamus Finnegan. Pleasure." I replied, returning his warm smile. "Where are you sitting? I… well, I don't have anywhere to…"

"No worries, mate, I'm just down here." Dean turned and began to walk down the carriage. I smiled to myself; perhaps this was the friend I had been waiting for.

We climbed into a small compartment that already seated a small, rotund boy holding a toad very tightly in his chubby hands. He looked up sharply when we entered, and, upon seeing Dean, relaxed again.

"Seamus, this is Neville Longbottom. Neville, Seamus Finnegan. I'm sure you will be fast friends." He introduced us, a knowing smile tugging at the side of his soft mouth. I studied his out of the corner of my eye. Dean was at good four inches taller than myself, and a bit slimmer; but then again I was a little on the broad side. His smile was adorable, and I knew that it would brighten my day for as long as I knew him, which I hoped would be a long, long time.

Dean

Who was this stocky little Irish boy who had (literally) stumbled his way into my path? When I had first heard his voice, it was as if a piece of my future had forced its way into its past, to tell me that this was fate; in case you can't tell, before I to my letter, I was an aspiring poet. I chuckled to myself - I really did feel as if I had just met someone who would be my friend forever and beyond.

A jolt ran through the train as it drew up at the station.

"This is it then." Seamus said, his lilting accent pulling me from my reverie. I opened the compartment door, only to come face to face with a face I had seen not a minute before in _The Daily Prophet._ I couldn't help it:

" _Harry Potter?!"_ I gasped. He was instantly recognisable by the lightning-shaped scar marring his forehead. Harry promptly turned on his heel, and strode away alongside a lanky red-head and a short, bushy-haired girl, who was carrying an enormous amount of books for her first day at Hogwarts. I hurried after them;

"Sorry, sorry, mate, it was just that I didn't expect to m-meet you, you know? Look, I'm sorry." I blustered. Harry turned around, a warm grin softening his features significantly.

"It's alright. Well, at least now I know that we really haven't met; I was starting to worry that we had and I'd simply forgotten who you were." He said, laughing. I joined in, relieved.

"Dean Thomas. Maybe I'll see you at the sorting?"

"Nice to meet you , Dean. Yeh, I'll keep a eye out for you." The ginger was tugging on Harry's sleeve urgently muttering that they were going to be late.

I followed them off the train with Seamus and Neville in tow; the poor lad seemed to have misplaced his toad, however. He was madly searching the ground, whispering " _Trevor? Trevor?!"_ I spared a moment to sympathise, but then I noticed a large shadow looming over us. I stepped back, mouth agape. A very hairy man, at least seven feet tall and five feet wide, was calling out for first years to gather around, and gesturing with a hand that I was sure could have fit all three of them sitting down with room left over. Harry gasped: "Hagrid!". So that was the giants name. I had no more time to ponder this, however, because I was jostled into moving along with the crowd of first years following Hagrid to the lake.

There was a collection of boats floating on the lake, none of which I was particularly keen to step into; each looked less sturdy than the last! Nevertheless, the first three boats now had six students each, and Neville and Seamus were climbing into a fourth. I followed in their wake, cautious but courageous, I like to think.

We spent a good ten minutes drifting across the dark, murky water until the boats tapped lightly against the bank. We disembarked, and stood shivering in on the muddy grass. Hagrid rounded us all up, and led us into the castle that would soon become my home.

Seamus

The first time I laid eyes on the Great Hall of Hogwarts is a moment I would never forget. Candles floated in every available space underneath the high ceiling that had been enchanted to look like a galaxy. Every student turned in their seats as we entered, probably wondering who the newest members of their house would be. I shuddered; it felt almost as if they were observing me like a predator would observe its prey. I looked to the floor just as I felt a small hand on my arm. I looked up and saw Dean looking down at me with curious, hazel eyes, concern etched over his features.

"Are you alright, Seamus?" he asked.

"Y-yes, I suppose." I muttered, a steady blush creeping up my neck, threatening to peer over my collar. I flashed a smile at him, and looked hurriedly back at the floor.

"Hey, hey, it'll be alright. Look at me, Seamus." I looked up into Dean's soft, kind eyes and felt instantly calmed.

"Thanks, Dean. Really, thank you." I said, a note of seriousness tinting my voice. Dean looked at me with new eyes.

"No problem, Seamus. Look, we're nearly at the front." The whole time we'd been talking, the deputy head, Professor McGonagall had been reading out the names of their fellow first years. I tuned back in:

"Harry Potter?" McGonagall called out. The whispering was almost deafening to me in the moments before they were quietened by Dumbledore, the tall, bearded headmaster who rose from his high chair in the centre of the teachers table.

The slight, black-haired boy I had seen on the train walked slowly up the narrow steps to sit on the three legged stool next to McGonagall. A ragged, tatty wizards hat was placed upon his head. It began to talk in a gruff, unfriendly voice. It muttered to itself for a while; it seemed to be having a hard time deciding. Eventually, however, it shouted:

"GRYFFINDOR!" The table to my right exploded with cheers. I grinned; if I ended up in Gryffindor I would be very pleased.

"Dean Thomas?" I froze.

Dean

I flinched at the sound of my name ringing out inside the vast hall. I looked down at Seamus; his wide, blue eyes met mine. I looked back up, determined. As I took the first step towards the podium, I felt heartened. _I can do this. It's not that hard_ , I thought to myself as I hopped up the steps and sat on the stool, waiting nervously for the weight of the hat to be placed on my head.

"Ah, hello young man." I jumped so hard when the hat spoke that it slipped down my face. "I haven't met a Thomas before. However… the kindness and courageousness you have already shown in your short time here at Hogwarts so far is clear to me. Your heart… yes… it is of the purest gold. I see a certain freckled Irish boy has already found a special place there, am I right? Yes… I think so… GYFFINDOR!" My blushing face, blanched, then lit up with joy. Gryffindor! I couldn't have hoped for more.

"Let's see… Seamus Finnegan?" _Oh no._ What if Seamus wasn't in Gryffindor? What if I didn't see him everyday? What if-

"Finnegan… Siobhan Finnegan? Yes I remember her, feisty little one, she was. I see you take after her, you kept her name after all." Seamus paled, and I felt sorry for him in that moment.

"Ok… it would hardly be fair to drag you from your only friend so far… and a very good friend at that… GRYFFINDOR!" A wide grin split his pale face, and he bounded down the steps. I stood up, and he threw himself into my arms. We held each other in pure joy for a few moments, before realising that a couple of tall red-heads were smirking in our direction; it didn't seem malicious at all, but we still hurriedly released each other, awkwardly sitting down opposite the gingers.

"Fred and George Weasley, love-ly to meet you." One of them grinned good-naturedly.

"I'm George, glad to make your acquaintance." The other said, a smile flickering on his face, as if he was trying to keep it off.

We laughed nervously, before gasping when an enormous roasted boar appeared in front of us, obscuring our view of the Weasley twins.

"Dig in!" One of them shouted from the there side of the table. We did just that; before long, our plates were piled high with food, and we were greedily gobbling it down.

Seamus

Feeling stuffed to the brim, I waited until Dumbledore dismissed us before following one of the Gryffindor prefects to my dorm room. We were just walking up one of the many staircases when it suddenly lurched to the side, shocking me out of my relaxed state. I was immediately alert to what the prefect was shouting to us:

"Don't worry, first years, keep calm. The staircases do tend to move around, we'll just have to take another route."

When the staircase had stopped moving, we all hurried to get off it before it decided to move again.

"All right, boys, this is you to the left, girls to the right. You all share a common room - the room we are in now. Off to bed!"

I couldn't focus on anything in the room we were stood in, and so I just shuffled off with Dean leaning on my shoulder, to our dormitory.

I flopped down on my bed. _Ugh. I'm. So. Full._ I thought, wishing that i could be magically in my pyjamas, and under the duvet. I then took a moment to think who I was sharing with.

 _Dean._ A burst of happiness exploded in my chest. My best friend.

 _Harry Potter._ The Boy Who Lived.

 _Ron Weasley._ Harry's red-headed friend, brother to the twins I had met earlier.

 _Neville Longbottom._ I had met him on the train. Nice boy; he had also finally found his toad.

With this happy thought, I drifted off to sleep, still fully clothed.

Dean

I hadn't date quite as much as Seamus, poor lad. He had fallen asleep the minute his head had hit the pillow. I walked over to him, and started carefully removing his shoes. He couldn't sleep with them on, after all. Once I had removed them, I went over to my bed and took the blanket that had been folded neatly at the end, and laid it over my friend. I gazed down at him; my first real friend at Hogwarts. Seamus rolled onto his side, snoring softly. I smiled; he was adorable, really, you just needed to get under the slightly defensive facade he had created to hide his insecurities. I hoped I could help him; I would so anything I could to help him. Anything.


	2. Chapter 2

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter 2

Seamus

I awoke in good spirits, feeling refreshed and ready for the day to come. I began to sit up, and realised I had a blanket laid over me. I was sure I couldn't have got it for myself, as I was still fully dressed from the day before. I shrugged off the blanket and looked up, only to see Dean sat on the end of his bed, watching me with laughter in his eyes.

"Morning, Seamus." He said lightly.

"G'morning." I said, my voice rough from sleep. I looked around, noticing that Neville and Ron were still sleeping, but Harry's bed was empty.

"Know where Potter's gone?" I asked Dean. He chuckled.

"You're his friend now you know. You can call him Harry."

"Oh, yeah. Old habits die hard, I guess." I said, mirth rising in my chest. I got out of bed and began undressing to put on some clean clothes.

"So, d'you know where he is?" I repeated.

"My guess is that he's gone to the common room. I heard him get up a couple of times in the night; had a hard time sleeping, I think." Dean replied, his smile wilting on his face. Then I remembered the blanket, and blushed.

"Uh, Dean, did you b-by any chance… I don't know… cover me last night? W-with the blanket, I mean, when we got back from the feast." I tripped over my words, unsure of what to say. Dean looked equally uncomfortable.

"Um, yeah, I suppose I did. Y-you don't mind, do you?" He looked up at me through his long eyelashes, a blush similar to mind was steadily creeping up his neck.

"No, no. T-thanks, mate, that… that was kind of you." I said, trying to show my gratitude without embarrassing myself.

"No problem, Seamus, anytime." Dean smiled up at me, and my heart instantly warmed.

Dean

I felt as if another layer of Seamus' mask had been stripped away, and I could see the softer, more natural part of him that I had not seen when I first met him. It didn't feel at all as if we'd only known each other a couple of days; it felt as if we'd already spent a lifetime together as the best of friends. I realised I was staring and hastily looked away. I looked at me feet awkwardly until I heard soft footsteps approaching me. Seamus had walked over and knelt don in front of me.

"Hey." He said softly, "Why the long face? Come on, you can talk to me you know." He looked so concerned for me; I couldn't believe that someone would feel like that for me already. I felt a grin appear on my face. A beautiful smile lit up Seamus face, making mine all the brighter. We both stood up.

"I'm great, Shay." I said. And in that moment, I really was. The smile died on Seamus' face, and I felt mine drop. "What is it? What did I say?

"Nothing."He said with a watery smile. "Or everything really. I-I've need been given a nickname before. No one's wanted to be my friend before, really, so n-no one's ever really given me a nickname that wasn't meant as an insult." He laughed quietly, without mirth. My heart broke for him, but swelled at the thought that I could be different to all those other people. I would be his friend for as long as he needed me. He deserved it; that and more.

"Let's go down to breakfast. We have our first flying lesson today!" I said brightly. Seamus looked delighted at the mention of flying.

"I can't wait for the first Quidditch match of the year! It's been my favourite sport ever since I watched my first game!" He said joyfully as we bounded down the stairs towards the Great Hall.

After stuffing down a large helping of bacon and eggs, we strolled down to find Madam Hooch, our flying teacher.

"Good Morning, class. I couldn't help but overhearing Mr Finnegan here talking to his friend Mr Thomas here about Quidditch. I thought I ought to tell you that no first year has been selected for the team for over fifty years. So, please, do not get your hopes up. You may be in a chance of getting a place on the team in your third year perhaps. May we begin?" Madam Hooch said cheerily. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seamus' head droop. _He'll show her,_ I thought, sure that Seamus would be excellent at flying first off. And boy, was I right.

The minute Seamus was astride a broom, he rose off the ground with such ease; he couldn't have been more comfortable on a broom if he tried. A small smile flickered on his face, a twinkle in his eye. My heart swelled as a grin appeared on my face; the look on Hooch's face was priceless.

Seamus looked from me to a blonde Slytherin boy and his face dropped. I looked at the boy, wondering why Seamus was getting so angry, his broom swaying as his hands tightened around the handle. The boy was pointing at me, and upon noticing that I had seen him, shouted over to me,

"Hey, mud-blood! What's it like being away from muggles? Are you missing your mummy?" I blanched. He c-couldn't… couldn't know… I stumbled back, sweat pouring down my face. Before he could move, Seamus had ploughed into the blonde-haired bully, knocking him off his feet. Jumping down from his broom, he ran at the boy, punching at screaming. He seemed to have known who it was.

"MALFOY! YOU EVIL, TWISTED LITTLE MUGGLE-HATING COCKROACH!" He screamed, pummelling at Malfoy's face. He had stopped laughing, and was crying out and shielding his face with his pale arms.

"Mr Finnegan! Stop right there! I said STOP!" Madam Hooch shrieked, pulling Seamus off Malfoy. He was red in the face and breathing heavily. Seamus had a terrifying look on his face, making everyone take a step back, before his face relaxed suddenly. A crack resounded around the grounds, and he collapsed promptly onto the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter 3

Seamus

Ugh. My head pounding, I sat up slowly.

"Shhh, now, don't exert yourself, dear." I looked towards the voice, eyes squinting; it was Madam Pomfrey, standing beside a worried looking Madam Hooch and a distressed Dean.

"Hey," he said softly, "How're you feeling?"

"Rubbish, if I'm being honest with you." I said groggily.

"I'll bet," Madam Hooch said shrilly, " You were hit by a jinx from behind. No one saw who di-"

"Oh, I'm sure we can take a fair guess." Dean said menacingly, his eyes shrouded by his low eyebrows. "Malfoy." he said shortly.

"It can't have been, he was in front of me." I said exasperatingly, although I wasn't sure of myself.

"Oh, really. While you were looked at me, I was looking at him, and Madam Hooch was looking at you. _He was not in front of you, Shay."_ My eyes widened; I hadn't realised Malfoy had moved when I had stopped pummelling him, I was still seeing red.

"Speaking of Draco, why was it, exactly, that you began to fight with him, Seamus?" Madam Hooch did not have the icy edge to her voice that I had expected; it was kind, sympathetic.

"He… he called Dean a… a…" I couldn't say it. I could never bring myself to say such a horrible word, even if it wasn't to anyone.

"A mud-blood. He called me a mud-blood." Dean said defiantly. Both women gasped; tears filled Madam Pomfrey's eyes.

"What a terrible thing to say!" She whispered forcedly.

"He… he also insulted my mother." Dean muttered.

"Didn't he only ask if you were missing her, Thomas?" Madam Hooch asked. She must have heard the last part of Malfoy's insults.

"Yes, but… OF COURSE I BLOODY MISS HER, SHE'S DEAD!" He shouted, tears spilling down his already tear-streaked face.

Dean

My heart felt as if it was being wrenched in half. I hid my face, trying to stem the flow of tears. A small, but strong hand rested on the back of my neck; Seamus had stood up, and had a pained expression on his face, but did not sit down. Instead, he pulled me to him, and held me in a firm but warm embrace. I tensed, but then relaxed into his arms and cried freely into this shoulder. Still holding me, Seamus pulled me slowly down onto the hospital bed, and sat with me for a good five minutes, just holding me. No one said anything, but the two teachers left the room, horror on their faces. If only they knew…

Seamus was whispering to me softly, reassuring me that he would make sure that Malfoy would never forget how he would make him pay for hurting me, and that he was sure my mother would be so proud of me, and would be happy where she is.

I laughed shallowly,

"Don't give me that crap, Shay." I said croakily, wiping my eyes on my sleeve. "But… but thanks… f-for being here for me."

"Of course… of course." He said quietly. "Anytime."

"Come on," I said, a falsely cheery note in my voice, "It must be time for lunch." But as we walked down to the Great Hall, I saw Seamus looking at me worriedly out of the corner of his eye; he knew I wasn't ok. He already knew me, in ways I didn't know I could be known by someone else; I was an open book to him, and a book he had read cover-to-cover many times, at that. Who knew where our friendship would take us, but I imagined it would survive a very long time.

After lunch we headed down to the lake to take a walk in the sunshine. We walked in silence until we came across another few Gryffindor students; Harry, Ron, and their friend Hermione.

"Hello Harry, Ron!" I said happily. "Hermione, I don't believe we've been formally introduced." The bushy-haired girl stood up, smiling.

"Hermione Granger, a pleasure to meet you. Dean, isn't it?"

"Dean Thomas, the pleasure is all mine." I grinned mischievously. Hermione grinned back at me, and went to sit back down.

"Spectacular show earlier, Seamus. We've all been dying to do what you did to Malfoy, but never quite plucked up the courage." Ron said, joyous laughter bubbling from his throat. Seamus winced,

"Glad you think so, mate." He wobbled, and grabbed onto my shoulder for support. Hermione's smile vanished.

"The jinx, of course!" She said hurriedly. "It was Malfoy, I'm sure of it. A mere weakening spell though, I think, judging by the colour…" She drifted off staring into space.

Seamus

"Colour?" I asked weakly. Dean startled, and Hermione quickly stood up to allow Dean to sit me down on the bench.

"Yes, I was at the right angle to see the jinx hit you. It was a purple colour, from one of the student's, I imagine, due to the simplistic but effective nature of it… yes, I only read about weakening spells a couple of days ago. All you need to do is drink a lot of water, and sleep it off, I'm afraid." Hermione said, sympathy framing her face as effectively as her voluminous hair.

"Alright well… sleep don't sound too bad right now, my head is killing me." I muttered, wincing.

"Yes, I imagine so," she said, "Headaches are part of the spell, as well as general weakening, of course. Dean, are you alright taking Seamus back to the hospital wing?" Hermione's voice was getting more and more distant by the second.

"Yes, I just hope we can get there without him falling asleep en route." I vaguely heard Dean say, then felt him shaking me awake, although it hardly did anything for my state of fatigue. We began to trudge back up to the castle. I heard Dean talking to me, but I couldn't fully work out what he was saying. He seemed to be stuttering, nervous - I hoped it wasn't because of me. I heard the odd phrase though,

"Ok, don't be mad… I don't… gotten into me… do you… I hope you can't hear me properly… you… special to me… never had… friend… maybe I'm yours as well… I don't know…" he was muttering. What would I be mad about? My eyelids drooped further, but I fought to stay awake. I was special to him? Was that what he said? My heart soared at the thought. Whatever I was to him, he was so much more to me. _I couldn't have hoped for a better friend…_ and with that thought, the darkness haunting my vision finally took me.

Dean

Seamus went limp in my arms. I sighed heavily; had he heard what I said? I had meant every word, he was the best friend I'd ever had, not that he had much competition. Seamus Finnegan was something special, and the mere thought of him made me smile. I beamed down at the boy in my arms; he was so light for such a stocky boy. We were nearly at the hospital wing; I didn't realise we had been walking for so long. I hopped up the last few steps and strode over to Seamus' previous hospital bed, laying him down gently on it. Madam Pomfrey scurried over, an anxious look on her small face.

"What happened? Wasn't he ready to leave?" she asked hurriedly.

"No, we met Hermione Granger down by the lake, and she noticed the signs of a Weakening Spell. Do you mind if he stays here for the next couple of days? And make sure he d-"

"Drinks a lot of water, yes, I know." Madam Pomfrey said, smiling. "Bright girl, that Hermione. I would say the brightest witch of her age, wouldn't you?"

"Y-yes, I suppose." I said distractedly, my eyes on the sleeping Seamus. _Oh, Shay,_ I thought. _Why did you have to go and be so damn protective?_ Madam Pomfrey's face softened.

"He'll be alright, dear, I'll take good care of him." I nodded slowly, and turned to walk out of the room. I was about to go through the oak doors when a small voice reached my ears.

"Oh, love is a beautiful thing, eh Finnegan?" Madam Pomfrey was leaning over the unconscious form of Seamus, making sure he was covered by a blanket. She looked up to see me still standing there, and blushed furiously.

"Haven't you got a lesson to go to?" She asked roughly, but a twinkle remained in her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Four

Seamus

Dean.

I remembered. I remembered everything, even clearer than I had experienced it. Dean carrying me into the hospital wing, his whispered words, Madam Pomfrey telling him she'd take care of me and… _love is a beautiful thing…_ surely she didn't… no… well, I couldn't deny that I felt for Dean like I had never felt before, and I supposed some could take that for love, but it was love in friendship. I was sure that was what she had meant…

I sat upright suddenly.

"Dean? Dean?!" I shouted. Madam Pomfrey came hurrying round the corner and almost fainted in relief. "What's wrong?" I asked tentatively.

"Oh… my goodness, dear, you've been out for days! It was a mighty strong Weakening Spell you were hit with, I'll tell you that. I'll fetch Thomas right away." She scuttled out of the room, a look of determination on her face.

The minute she had walked out of the door, a smirking blonde sauntered into the room.

"Hello, Finnegan. Still alive, are you?" He jeered, a frown pulling at his features.

"Really, Malfoy?" I sighed. "Who lit the fuse on your tampon?" His mouth pulled down even further. I stifled a laugh.

"Nice one, Shay." Dean pushed past Malfoy to come and stand by my bed, laughter lighting up his eyes.

"You're here too, then, are you, mud-blood?" Malfoy said spitefully, his usual smirk back in place on his harsh face. I sat up abruptly, tense. I leapt from the bed, and ran at Malfoy. The only thing holding me back was a hand gripping the back of my shirt; Dean.

"Seamus. It's not worth it."He said softly, pulling me back. Malfoy's face had gone from smug to terrified, and back to smug.

"Oh, so that's how it is. Your little muggle-born friend is stopping you from fighting me… because he's scared you'll get hurt, isn't that right, Thomas?" Malfoy said maliciously, leering at us. Dean tensed, then drooped.

"He… he's right, Shay. I don't want you to get hurt, nor do I think it's worth it to fight him for… f-for me." He said quietly, his eyes to the ground. I stood, shell-shocked and speechless. _He was scared for me?_ My mouth worked but no sound came out.

Dean

I flushed deeply. I could hear Malfoy chortling in the background. I raised my eyes, defiant; _it didn't matter what they thought. I knew what I felt and nothing would change that._ Seamus was gazing at my from under his long eyelashes, his mouth slightly open. I shuddered; why did he have to look at me like that? It made me feel as if I had made a mistake, and that there was definitely nothing I could do about it.

"Well, nice to see I… um, I mean whoever cast that jinx didn't kill you, Finnegan." Malfoy said, a blush highlighting his features. I frowned, my eyebrows knitting together. _So it was him,_ I thought, ways to kill him flashing through my head. As if reading my mind, Seamus came and stood in front of me, blocking my view of Malfoy. I instantly relaxed, as if he didn't exist when I couldn't see him. I turned and sat down on Seamus' bed, my eyes to the floor. The sound of Malfoy's taunting steps drifting away soothed my anger, and I hardly felt Seamus sit down next to me, and put his hand on my shoulder.

"It's alright, Dean. He's gone."

Malfoy and I did not come across each other for a long while after that; well, we ignored each other in every lesson we shared. It was nearly the end of our first year at Hogwarts when he sauntered up to me in his usual manner, right in the middle of a Tranfiguration class.

"How's it going, Thomas?" he asked, his permanent smirk persistent on his face.

"Well, I'm getting pretty good at the spell we're doing at the moment. How are you doing?" I replied coolly, vaguely implying that I would not hesitate to turn Malfoy into a frog, just as we were doing to the mice on our desks. His mouth turned down slightly.

"Oh, just fantastic really, I'm already planning on turning Granger over there into a nice, big, ginger cat!" He laughed uproariously at the horrified look on Hermione's face. I glowered at him, my dislike evident on my face.

"Ooh, not very friendly." Malfoy snarled, leering. I stared him straight in the eyes, looking so deep it could have seen his soul. He faltered,unsure of himself for once. His whole demeanour, his whole attitude was a facade. When faced with danger, Draco Malfoy was a coward. He would run, terrified, from anything that threatened to hurt him, but would take pleasure in inflicting that on others, from what I had seen so far. Bloody coward, and a snarky one at that.

Seamus

I could feel the anger building up inside me, but took a deep, steady breath to try and extinguish the fire that was raging in my chest. _How. Dare He._ I had become accustomed to Malfoy's form of humiliation in the past few months. He would cause anguish to those who would do nothing about it, and for those who had friends who would, he would hide behind his two thugs, Crabbe and Goyle, while they fought him out of the mess he made. I recited a mantra in my head; _I will not sink down to his level. I will not sink down to his level. Iwillnotsinkdowntohislevel. I WILL NOT SINK DOWN TO HIS LEVEL!_ It took all the energy I had to restrain myself as Malfoy taunted Dean, and however glad I was that he was sticking up for himself, I knew it would not do him any good. No good at all. I gripped the desk, the edges digging into my hands. I inhaled slowly, holding my breath for a good few seconds before exhaling controllably. I heard Dean come and stand behind me, and whisper in my ear,

"Don't think on what I'm about to do, but it will shut them up, and you want that, right?" Before I had even turned around, Dean had grabbed my hand and was running with me out of the classroom, laughing madly, shouting,

"Come on, Seamus, it's not the end of the world just because they know, I mean, now everything will be just fine!" The false cheeriness in his voice was evident to me, but hopefully it wasn't to them. The minute we rounded the corner, Dean released me hand and walked over to the nearest wall, and began to slowly bang his head on it repeatedly. I strode up to him, and turned him round.

"What were they saying to you, Dean?" I whispered, anger seeping through my quiet words.

"They were s-saying that my… my mum had raised me to be a… to be a…" he broke down, sliding down the wall will tears running down his face. I crouched in front of him, and took his face in my hands.

"To be a what?"

"T-to be a… a 'fag'." he whispered, tears flowing freely. The fire in my chest returned, stronger than before. I didn't think in that moment, I just took Dean in my arms and held him while he cried, because that is what a good friend would have done. I wanted to be a good friend to Dean, more than anything, and nothing Malfoy said would change that, even if it was true. _Especially_ if it was true, the little maggot.

"Shur lookit. It doesn't matter what they think, alright? Don't listen to them. If you like, I'll accidentally-on-purpose blow something up next to Malfoy next Potions lesson." Dean smiled through his tears at that,and my heart lifted.

Dean

What did I do to deserve a friend like Seamus. _Honestly,_ I thought as I stood up, aided by Seamus. _You'd almost think I had a thing for Irish accents, with me getting all caught up when I hear his voice._ I paused, and blushed furiously. Where had that thought come from?

"You alright, Dean?" Seamus asked me worriedly. There it was, that shiver up my spine.

"Y-yeh, I'm f-fine." I replied stutteringly.

"Look, why don't we leave the rest of the lesson, and take a walk? We might bump into Harry, Ron and Hermione, you never know!" He tried to sound cheerful, but failed miserably. I gave him a wobbly smile.

I only realised Seamus had stopped once I was a good ten metres in front of him. I turned around to see that he was gazing off the side of the bridge. I hadn't even realised we had begun to cross it. I walked slowly over to him, concern clouding my mind for a minute.

"What are you looking at?" I asked cautiously. He turned to look at me, a smile flitting across his features.

"Do you see that glimmer at the bottom of the lake, just there?" he said, pointing to a small object that was sparkling in the lake.

"Thats my mother's locket. She threw it in there after her and her best friend, the one who gave it to her, had an argument. They made up soon after that, however, and she has regretted it ever since. She could never get it back, of course, it's at the bottom of a lake!" Seamus glanced up at me, his blue eyes shining, the light catching in his straw-coloured hair. He looked so happy in that picture-perfect scene, that it was a moment I would never forget.


	5. Chapter 5

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter 5

Seamus

The end of the year. I sat in my favourite armchair by the fire in the common room, a morose look on my face. Sipping my hot tea, I thought of home. Seeing my mam would be worth leaving Hogwarts, but that would soon wear off. Dean walked slowly into the room, a similar expression on his face. He was thinking the same as me, but it seemed like a dark cloud was hanging over his head.

"What's up?" I asked quietly. He sat heavily in the armchair opposite me, and looked up through thick eyelashes.

"I-I'm going back to the muggle world, Seamus." He said shakily, his voice cracking. "I'm not going to see you, or Neville, or Harry… for the whole summer! I can't talk freely about magic, I can't send messages to you because I don't have an owl…" He broke off, a tear slowly tracing down his cheek. I stood and ambled over to him, bending to wipe the tear from his face. I kept my hand to his cheek for a moment, just gazing into his beautiful eyes. I couldn't believe he felt that much just about going home for the summer.

"It will be alright." I whispered. I took my hand away from his cheek and sat back down. "I'll owl you anyway, and you can send me one back, ok?" I grinned, getting a watery smile in return.

"Thanks, Shay." Dean said, a more sturdy smile lighting his face.

"Let's take a walk." I suggested. Dean sighed, grinning now.

"Oh, you know what happens when we 'take a walk'. We always end up being jinxed or cursed or injured in some way." He said grudgingly.

"Yep. It'll be good way to finish the year, eh, Dean?" I said joyously.

"Oh, all right then."

As we strolled down beside the lake, Dean stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concern burning in my chest.

"It's just… I'm so grateful, Seamus." He said, turning to look at me. I blinked;

"Grateful… for what?" He started walking again, striding towards me.

"For you, Shay, for everything you've done for me. You've been the best friend I've ever had, and I love you for tha-" He took a hasty intake of breath, then relaxed. "Well… I-I do, you know."

"Y-Yeh, I… you're welcome, you know, and… well, s-same here, if you get what I mean." I muttered, looking at the emerald grass lining my scuffed shoes. I looked up tentatively, only to be greeted by the sight of Dean beaming at me."

"It's been a pleasure, Shay. We… we'll still b-be friends n-next year, right?" He asked, his wide smile wilting.

"Of course, Dean! I mean… only i-if you w-want to…" Dean's smile returned at my words.

"Yes! Yes, of course I want to be your friend again after the holidays. And you will write, won't you?"

"Don't you worry about that." I grinned.

Dean

My heartbeat began to slow; it had been racing at 100 miles an hour the whole time. I allowed myself a private little smile. I had meant what I said. Every word of it.

We were just beginning to head up to the castle when we came across Millicent Bulstrode, sitting alone on a tree stump, reading. I heard Seamus hold his breath as we walked slowly past her. A loud snap echoed across the grounds; I looked at Seamus to see him wincing, a broken twig under his foot. I sighed, and turned to face Millicent, who's head had snapped up at the sound. She sneered.

"Oh looky here. The little Irish and his mudblood pet. How quaint." She taunted. Seamus tensed beside me, and I placed a hand on his arm to calm him.

"Are you not going to say anything, Finnegan? Just because this filth tells you not to?" I knew then that she had crossed a line. And a very fine line, at that. Seamus shoved my hand away, and launched himself at Bulstrode with a feral roar. She squeaked in a very unthreatening way as Seamus began to slap and punch the Slytherin like there was no tomorrow. I enjoyed the sight for a moment, then, feeling disgusted with myself, grabbed Seamus and hauled him off of Bustrode. He stood, panting, at my side, watching Millicent try to stand, holding a sleeve to her bleeding nose.

"So, mudblood. You're so high and mighty you get Finnegan here to go your dirty work for you?" She said, abandoning the thought of stemming the flow of blood from her nose. Seamus prepared to jump at her again, but I held him back. When I was sure he wouldn't do anything I would have to regret for him, I walked slowly up to Bulstrode, a calm look on my face. I got very close to her before whispering in her ear,

"You have no idea who you are, who I am, or what I can do. You are confused about your own identity, and are resorting to taunting others to hide your insecurity. You know I am muggle-born, and so you pick on me, without knowing what skills I have acquired in the muggle world. You've never been there, have you, Millicent? No… I didn't think so. I ask you to please keep away from me and my friend here, or you will find that the muggle world isn't all as weak as you thought it was." I stepped way from her, and was internally pleased to see the shocked look on her face; her lip was trembling, and it seemed she had forgotten about the red river now dripping off her large chin onto her robes. I pivoted, and sauntered away, Seamus in tow.

"What on earth did you say to her?" He asked, wonder written all over his freckled features.

"Only what she never wanted to hear." I replied, smiling.

Seamus

The last feast of our first year at Hogwarts was certainly one to remember. With all that had happened with Dean and I, we hadn't noticed that Harry, Hermione and Ron had been absent for most of the previous day. However, we sat near them at the Gryffindor table, and were shocked to see that they all looked rather roughed up. Harry had cuts on his face, and bandages covering his small hands; Ron definitely looked worse for wear - his eyelids were dropping the minute he sat down, and was clutching his ribs even as he rested his head on Hermione's shoulder, closing his eyes. Hermione, however, looked well-rested and happy, stroking Ron's ginger hair absent-mindedly. She had a couple of scratches down the side of her pale face, but she looked as if she had merely had a scrap with her cat, Crookshanks, rather than played chess with ten foot tall wizards' chess pieces. A loud rapping sound resounded off the beamed walls of the Great Hall, and every student turned to face Dumbledore.

"Good evening, students of Hogwarts school. I thought I'd say something, but now I'm so hungry I could eat my elbows, so tuck in!" He laughed. Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes and tutted, but the corner of her mouth twitched.

If anything was plaguing my mind, it was soon forgotten as I happily obliged. There was everything you could possibly hope for on the tables that evening; golden Yorkshire puddings, whole wild boar, jugs filled to the brim with pumpkin juice and even butterbeer, great bowls stuffed with chicken wings, and pretty much everything else you can think of. I heard the most bubbly laugh I'd ever heard, and looked to through my smile to find the person who had emitted such a joyful sound. It was, to my surprise, Hermione, the most serious, studious girl I'd ever met. Her face had lit up as she laughed; I glanced over at Ron who was sitting next to her, and immediately it was obvious by the look on his face that he was smitten with her and would be for a long time. Hermione looked over to me, her smile widening even further when she then looked at Dean. I glimpsed Dean giving me a similar look as Ron had Hermione, but he hastily looked away. Hermione caught my eye, and she winked. _She hadn't had the same thought as I just had… had she?_

Dean

I looked away as quickly as possible; had he seen? I mean, I couldn't help it, he just looked so happy, with that charming smile on his face. I just melted whenever I saw him look like that, I really couldn't do anything about it. Just then, it didn't matter that were weren't going to see each other for a couple of months, because we were together then, and that's what mattered.

The next year really was going to be a whirlwind; we knew so much about each other now, we were like family, and spending a whole year with your best friend was bound to cause trouble. Harry and Ron were great examples of that as they took turns in seeing how many peas they could balance in Hermione's hair before she noticed and told them off. I laughed, the atmosphere in the Great Hall was just so joyous, it was contagious. Seamus reached over to ruffle my hair, and i caught his hand, chuckling. I didn't know what came over me, I… I just held onto his hand, the laughter dying on my lips, Seamus' face slowly relaxed into a slight frown. I hastily retracted my hand, blushing. A course hand slowly slipped it's way into mine. I looked up, shocked. Seamus was gazing at me, doe-eyed, a smile playing on his lips. I beamed at him; we slowly turned back to the table to see everyone staring at us, open-mouthed. We both flushed, and our hands parted. Hermione whispered urgently to Ron, who grinned and nodded excitedly. _Whatever had she said to make him react like that?_

When the feast had finished, we headed up to our dormitories for the last time that year. A sombre silence descended on us, enveloping us.

"Seamus told us about how… how you didn't have an owl, Dean." Ron said slowly. I didn't expect the anger that rose in my chest. Seeing the furious expression on my face, Ron hurriedly continued.

"No, we… we'll all write to you too, and we've all agreed to let you borrow our owls too after you've received our messages, to send letters to other people, I mean." He rushed.

A blush crept up my neck.

"T-Thanks guys, I-I real appreciate that." I stuttered, a lump forming in my throat.

"Don't mention it, mate." said Seamus, relief written all over his handsome face.


	6. Chapter 6

When We Were Just Friends

*so sorry it's been a while, I've been really busy and super exhausted :) here's the next chapter of WWWJF*

Chapter 6 - Year 5

Seamus

Finally. The end of the holidays. They were great, sure, I got some rest from school; but I hadn't seen Dean for ages, or what felt like it. I paced in my room, stooping to avoid the broomstick dial that still hung from the ceiling. I was happy to say I had grown over the summer. Dean always was the BFG to me, so I was glad to have lessened the gap by a few inches. I always had had a more stocky, masculine build, where Dean was more lithe and slim-shouldered. I sighed at the thought of him, a wistful smile slipping onto my face; I was only 15, but I had had the pleasure of knowing Dean long enough to realise… to realise that I felt more for him that friendship. Just being his friend was not enough for me, but I would have to wait. My shoulders sagged as I recalled that Dean was still dating Parvati Patil after he had asked her out just before the end of our fourth year.

"Come on, Seamus dear, we can't be late for the train!" A joyful Irish voice sang from downstairs, jolting me from my reverie.

"Coming, mam!" I shouted in return, lugging my trunk down the staircase. I couldn't wait to be back on that rain, with Dean.

Eleven o'clock. I was leaning out of the window, waving to my mother, who was crying as always. As soon as she was out of sight, I pivoted and began to pace down the aisles of the train, looking in at each compartment to see if he was there. About two carriages in, I ploughed straight into another student, neither of us looking where we were going.

"Sorry, sorry" we both muttered, looking up. I froze. Dean.

We were so close, my eyes adjacent to his chest. He hadn't changed at all during the time we'd been away, he was just as I remembered him. But then again, I did keep a photo of him on my bedside table. Before I could lose my nerve, I wrapped my arms around him in a fierce hug. Long arms enveloped me, and I felt safe. Truly safe, like I'd never felt security before.

"Seamus! You've grown I see!" Dean laughed, drawing back but keeping hold of my shoulders.

"Yeh." I chuckled joyously. Then I remembered, "How's Parvati?"

Dean

Ugh. He just had to bring that up _. I had been waiting all summer to see him, and hadn't even thought of Parvati once!_ I thought, annoyed. I looked down at him, and all the irritation I felt towards him melted away. His frightened eyes had widened, and he had taken a small step closer to me, his mouth turned down. I smiled; I couldn't help it.

"Well, I wouldn't know, actually. I haven't seen her for ages." I said truthfully. Seamus' eyes lit up.

"Let's find a seat, eh, Dean?" He said, grinning.

We found an empty compartment, and sat down by the window, facing each other. We said nothing for a few minutes, just glancing at each other, smiling when we caught eyes. I hadn't thought about how things were going to be back at Hogwarts up until that minute. The smile slipped from my face; how could I forget that we would be sharing a dorm again this year? I suppose I had more to think about than that.

"What's wrong?" Seamus' hand was on my shoulder. I jumped slightly, startled by his proximity.

"N-Nothing, I just…" I stuttered, looking at the ground. Shay's wide feet were slotted perfectly in between mine, his battered trainers contrasting with my dark Chelseas. He leant into me, his breath tickling my ear.

"I don't believe you." He whispered.

"I know." I said breathily. My eyes fluttered shut; I couldn't help but enjoy our closeness. I blushed furiously as Seamus returned to his seat, smiling gently.

"We're nearly there, Dea, look out of the window." He said softly. I dragged my eyes from him and looked out of the window, and was once again stunned by the majestic scene of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We hurriedly changed into our robes, and disembarked the train, each of us with a joyful smile on our faces, knowing we were home.

Seamus

Who knows why I did what I did on the train, but now I was happy, and deliriously so. Dean and I sat in the Great Hall having accepted some new Gryffindors into our midst, eating to our hearts' content. After we were done, and the food had disappeared off the tables, we met up with Harry, Ron and Neville before heading up to our dormitory. Harry and Ron looked pretty grim; they always did at the start of the year, but Neville looked as happy as always. He had shot up over the summer, and beefed out a bit too, making him seem like a force to be reckoned with to anyone who didn't know the gentle-hearted boy. As we were heading up the stairs, laughing over a classically Ron joke, the stairway lurched to the side just as Dean had put his foot over the last step. He gasped as turned, reaching out his hand to me, but it was too late. Dean fell backwards just as I reached my hand out to him.

"Bloody hell, Seamus, do something!" I heard Ron shout over my shoulder. I knew what I had to do.

I sprang from my position by the edge of the stair, and landed hard on my stomach, my hand still outstretched.

"Dean!" I screamed, my heart ripping in two as the thought of him falling broke into my mind. I shut my eyes and reached as far as I could off the end of the stairway.

"No!" I sobbed; I was beyond rationality, I just needed to save him. I had to, no matter what. If I fell and he lived, it wouldn't matter. Nothing else mattered, then, in that moment, than saving Dean.

Dean

He would never forgive himself if I fell. That was my last thought before my whole world slowly turned black. The last part to leave my mind was Shay's eyes. Their vibrant blue pierced my soul before the terror in them overtook me.

"Shay! Shay? Seamus Finnigan, where are you?!" I sat bolt upright to the immense surprise of Harry, Ron and Neville, who stood, worried, around my bed in the Hospital Wing. Seamus wasn't there. Head pounding, I stood up, swaying slightly on my feet.

"Well, mate…" Ron began, looking as if his shoes were the most interesting things in the world. "When he held you up when you fell, the stairs kind of… well…"

"What, Ron?" I asked softly, horror growing in my chest as I ignored the pain in my head.

"A couple of his ribs may have been ever so slightly cracked…"

"More like he's lucky to have some still intact. He's just sleeping now, dear. It's been a tough couple of hours." A sad looking Madam Pomfrey came into view, and put a cold, damp cloth to my head. Although it was soothing, I pushed her out of the way and strode over to the only other occupied bed in the room.

"Hours? I've been out for hours? He's been here without me for _hours?!"_ The still figure of Seamus Finnigan made my stride quicken to a run, but I slowed as I saw his face. A violent bruise had spread across the right side of his face, and his eyebrows seemed permanently screwed into a frown of pain. A long slice began just under his lip, and disappeared underneath his dirtied shirt. His eyes were red-rimmed, and tired looking, even as he slept. A silent tear slid down my face. _He did this for me._

No matter how I looked at the situation, every conclusion was worse than the last. It was all my fault.

I sat gingerly next to Seamus on the bed, not wanting to jostle him where he lay. Placing a hand on the uninjured side of him face, I broke down, my head bent as tears streamed down my face.

"Dean?" I looked up sharply. Seamus' groggy eyes were half open, and blinking slowly, squinting up at me.

"Oh, Shay." I whispered, fresh tears building in my eyes. His face was a picture of pain, and it broke my heart to see it. Seamus smiled softly, wincing slightly.

"It's alright, Dea. I'm just happy you're alright. I-It doesn't matter about all this, okay?" He said, gesturing with a weak hand to his face and ribs. "Don't cry, Dean, I hate to see you cry." Taking my hand, he raised it to his lips and kissed it gently.

"I hate to see _you_ like this, that's why I'm crying!" I sobbed, suddenly unaware of anything but Seamus' face and my own wracked sobs. Seamus took a shaky breath, and his head lolled to the side as he lost consciousness once more. I felt as strong hand on my shoulder; Ron lead me gently but firmly out of the infirmary as I cried into his shoulder.


	7. Chapter 7

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Seven

Seamus

Images swam into my mind as my head cleared after days of uninterrupted bliss. Painless, crystal-like bliss: sleep. A few hours before I returned to the outside realm to which I was so reluctant to go back to, I think, I had the worst dream I had ever experienced in my life. It started off great, making me the happiest I have ever been. My happiness was short lived.

 _Dean's broken up with Parvati, Seamus… but now he's…he's dating Ginny, Seamus._ It was Harry. _I hate it, don't you? All I wish is that they had stayed just friends so that I could have asked her out, you know? I mean, Dean's your best friend and all, so I guess it won't affect you that much, but still, you know what I'm talking about, right?_ Despair had filled me as I fought to tell dream-Harry that it wan't true, it couldn't have been. Dean wouldn't do that to me… but I guess he would…

 _It's just a dream,_ I told myself. My eyes flew open, a sudden adrenaline rushing through me as blinding pain rushed from my ribs in waves up and down my body. I ignored Madam Pomfrey as she tried to push me down. I was dressed in my normal uniform trousers with no shirt, and bandages wrapped around my midriff, stretched tightly over my broad chest. I ran from the Hospital Wing, determined to find him.

"Dean!" I called, franticly bounding up to the Gryffindor common room. By the time I had reached it, my eyes were wild with panic, and a cold sweat had settled over my body. I saw him as soon as I entered the room; his hazel eyes had widened as he stood up hurriedly at the sight of me, his mouth opening slightly.

"Dean." I said softly. The pain suddenly caught up with me; I swayed slightly as wave after wave rocked my body, every jolt more painful than the last. Dean rushed over to me, and held me as my legs crumpled from beneath me. Half carrying me towards my bed in the dormitory, I whispered to Dean,

"Are you really dating Ginny?" Dean blanched as the words left my mouth.

"How…?" His arms shook as he fought to hold me up.

"No… why would… how could… no…"

"How did you find out, Shay?"

"Dream… I think… Harry came…"

"C-Come on, Seamus, let's get you to bed." Dean said, his voice wobbling dangerously. "You'll be ok."

Dean

I lay in bed, my clock reading 2:38am. I turned on my side, glancing sadly at Seamus lying still in the bed across from mine. Shuddering breaths rose through his freshly bandages chest as he slept, a frown marring his face. Madam Pomfrey had rushed up after Seamus, and had given me strict instructions on how to take care of him - we couldn't move him as he was, and he could return to classes after a few days anyway. I sighed deeply, closing my eyes.

 _Laughter rung out across the snowy hill as we played a chilly game of Quidditch in the snow. Harry and Seamus were Beaters, Neville and I were Chasers, and Ron was keeper. Seamus kept playfully beating the Bludgers in my direction, laughing as they hit my broom, causing me to spin uncontrollably until Harry took pity on me and balanced me out with a flick of his wand. A Quaffle landed hard in my arms almost the very second that I was steady; a mischievous smirk found it's place on my face, and I zoomed off towards the goals. 'Just like football,' I thought to myself, 'Only with your hands… and on brooms…' I sped over to Ron, who had a bemused expression on his almost blue face. I readied my aim… 'AND THOMAS SCORES! THE CROWD GOES WILD!' I shouted uproariously as Neville, Seamus and Harry chortled behind me. We dived, hitting the ground running, grins on our faces as we exchanged high-fives. As my hand connected with Seamus', an unmistakeable jolt ran from my hand to my heart, and back again. His hand twitched in sync with mine, as if he had felt a similar thing._

 _'Damn Ginny.' I thought I heard him mutter as he turned away from me to follow the others back up to the castle._

I peeled back my eyelids, unwilling to detach myself from the world my imagination had created. _4:39._ Ugh. I sat up groggily, scrubbing a hand over my face.

"Oh, Shay." I whispered.

"Yeh?" I jumped, whipping my head to the side. Seamus sat up in his bed, in a very similar position to my own. Even with bandages stretched tightly over his muscular chest, and dark rings under his beautiful green eyes, he still looked incredible to me. I couldn't help myself; I jumped out of bed, ran over to Seamus', and jumped in next to him, wrapping my arms around him, my head buried in his shoulder. His chest vibrated as a low laugh bubbled up from his lips. I glanced up to see a smile akin to mine lighting up his face. I snuggled into his shoulder, closing my eyes. Seamus' arms engulfed me, guiding me down so that we were lying next to each other, holding each other so tightly it was as if we would never let go.

Seamus

I awoke in a joyful mood as the sun rose over the winter clouds. I shifted in my bed, stretching out the muscles in my back. I froze; a small, delicate hand was lain across my bicep. It took a minute for me to acknowledge what that meant, as my eyes trailed the path of skin that lead from the hand. The sleeping face of my best friend greeted me, his hair mussed across his forehead, his lips pouted as slow breaths escaped them. I gently took Dean's hand in mine, placing it softly down next to where his sleeping body lay. I got out of bed, stretching my back and arms, as they were stiff from lack of exercise and sleep. Feeling only small pangs from my ribs, I happily began to unwind the bandages from my chest.

"Let me." A soft, sleepy voice whispered over my shoulder. Warm arms encircled my waist as slim, long-fingered hands worked quickly but gently, dancing over my skin. I shivered slightly, then frowned. _What's come over me?! He's me best friend, what am I reacting like that for?_

"How're you doing today, Shay?" That same honey-like voice wafted like a summer breeze towards me.

"I-I'm doing amazingly, Dea, and you know why? This is the first day in a long time that we will be able to spend the entirety of together." I murmured, enjoying the feeling of Dean's long fringe tickling my back as he unwound the strips still covering my skin. I was once again free; I rolled my neck, closing my eyes as I pulled my shoulders back, feelings of pleasure running up and down my body as I stretched. A small hitch of breath behind me made me turn, my eyes opening slowly. Dean was much closer than I had suspected; there were mere centimetres between our faces. My eyes widened slightly, and a small smile appeared on my face. A the sight of my smile, Dean visibly relaxed, a twinkle in his eyes. I took a few steps back, my smile widening, before falling at an unwelcome thought. Dean seemed to have the same thought at the same time as me, with what seemed to be a similar reaction. _But he couldn't feel like I do about… Ginny. She's his girlfriend, he… he loves her._ I shrugged away from Dean to go to sit by the already-lit fire. I slumped down into my favourite armchair, big enough for two but small enough for me to enjoy alone. This time, however, its comforts were not to be enjoyed alone.

Dean

A pang resounded in my chest. I cast my eyes down as Seamus sat down heavily, his broad shoulders tense. Without really thinking, I walked over and sat gingerly beside him, squeezing into the small space. I laid my head on his shoulder, feeling whole… complete…

"I'm so glad to have you, Shay, I really am." I murmured sleepily. Seamus' shoulder relaxed as he released a sigh, his hands loosening from their clasped position in his lap. I reached out a hand, my head fuzzy as if I had been confunded, and began to trace the toned muscles of Seamus' core. I wondered how the small, sandy-haired boy I had met four years before, had changed so drastically during such as small amount of time. Seamus tensed under my fingers, but his rhythmic breathing remained relaxed. As I traced the ridges and lines of Seamus' stomach, I felt my eyelids drooping. It was only about half past five in the morning, and lessons didn't start for another few hours. My fingers stilled, and my palm fell flat as sleep invaded my senses.

The gentle beams of joyous light filtering through the curtains woke me; _What a pleasant way to wake,_ I thought as I stretched my arms above my head to wake the muscles in them. I looked over my shoulder, and smiled softly at the sight of the sleeping boy lying there. I dressed quickly, noticing when Seamus stood up next to me, pulling on a sweater. I was cold outside; winter was closing in, snow threatening to engulf the turrets of Hogwarts.

As we walked down to the Great Hall, a comfortable silence settled over us, pleasant smiles lighting our faces. We met Hermione and Lavender Brown, a girl who was obviously smitten with him by now; we all expected that she would launch herself at Ron by Christmas in our sixth year. We wandered with a air of freedom into the hall where people were already eating. Our joyful lightness was short lived; Draco Malfoy had stood up from the Slytherin table, and was walking purposefully towards us. As he passed Hermione, he forcefully walked into her shoulder, forcing her out of the way.

"Mudblood." He called over his shoulder. Hermione tensed, distress on her features. Unexpectedly, her face stretched into a mischievous smile, her eyes narrowing. She strode up behind Malfoy.

"Hey, Malfoy." She whistled. He turned, confusion on his face. Hermione paused just in front of him, holding the forefinger of her right hand up to her face. She opened her mouth, and slowly ran her tongue along her finger. Malfoy cringed away from her. The, Hermione did something none of us ever expected.


	8. Chapter 8

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Eight

Seamus

Hermione. Granger. Started. Singing. It was a song I'd heard Dean singing many times, so I had deducted it was a Muggle favourite.

Hermione leaned forward and wiped her finger slowly down Malfoy's face;

"YOU GOT MUD ON YOUR FACE, YOU BIG DISGRACE, SOMEBODY BETTER PUT YOU BACK INTO YOUR PLACE!"

Suddenly, each and every muggle born in the school stood up and joined in for the chorus;

"WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU!" *stamp stamp clap* *stamp stamp clap*

"WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU!"

Malfoy was stumbling backwards away from Hermione, a look of complete and utter horror on his face. He tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his back, hurriedly scrambling backwards on his backside, desperately pushing the floor with his hands and feet to gain distance from Hermione, who was slowly walking towards him, still singing, a taunting expression on her face. Other Slytherins who were working on their homework had knocked over books and ink bottles, abandoning them to run from the hall in terror. Malfoy finally managed to push himself to his feet, and he sprinted out of the doors, shoving his fellow Slytherins out of the way in his hast. Once every Slytherin was out of the hall, everyone remaining burst out laughing. Shouts of congratulations to Hermione rang out across the space, cheers ricocheting on the beams. She turned and grinned at us, laughter bubbling on her lips.

"What d'you think, boys? Effective or what?" She giggled happily.

"Amazing, Hermione, that was bloody amazing." Dean walked forward and hugged Hermione, a smile on his face. Hermione laughed again, but her laughter died almost as quickly as it had risen.

"I just don't understand why it was necessary though. Why does Dra… Malfoy have to be so mean after…" She looked down, unhappy and sheepish.

"After what, Mione?" Dean asked, lifted her head with a finger under her chin. She looked into his eyes, tears glistening there.

"After he had been so kind." She whispered, before pivoting and running out of the hall, her sobs reaching us even after she had rounded the corner. One of the muggle borns who had joined in earlier ran after her calling her name. Dean turned to me.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else… get out of all this, you know." I nodded grimly.

"I know."

Dean

We wandered down by the lake, as we had done so any times before. Snow was drifting down from the bare trees, settling lightly on the grass. I shivered, pulling my coat tighter around myself. I saw Seamus look at me out of the corner of my eye. I looked straight ahead of me, my heart rate increasing. _Get a grip, Dean!_ I told myself. I felt something brush my hand, but I didn't think anything of it; not until warm, worked fingers entwined themselves with my cold ones. Heart in my mouth, I turned my head to look at Seamus out from under my eyelashes. He was looking at me too, his mouth slightly open in shock.

"I… Dea, I don't… sorry…" He mumbled, his fingers loosening in mine. Panicked, I tightened my hold, squeezing lightly. Seamus looked back up at me, his eyes slightly wet.

"Dean…" He leant into me, resting his head on my chest where we stood. I wound my arms around him, closing my eyes, letting myself cherish the bliss of being there, alone, with him.

"I love you, Shay." I whispered under my breath.

"I love you too, Dea." He whispered back. I released him, smiling softly. We continued to walk, and began to talk of You-Know-Who.

"He can't be back, can he?" Seamus was saying as we entered the Gryffindor common room, stripping off our coats and scarves, dumping them on the floor as we sat heavily in our favourite armchairs by the warm hearth.

"I don't know, Shay, I really don't… but, I trust Harry, and Harry says he is, so he must be." Seamus' eyes went suddenly cold, and I felt as if a Dementor had entered the room.

"You know how my mam didn't want me to come back to Hogwarts last year, Dean." My eyes widened. If Seamus hadn't come back that year, I was sure I would have gone mad being without him.

"Yeah, that's right, and all because of what Harry Potter said in the newspaper. My mam didn't believe it, so I didn't either. By Merlin do I wanted to, Dea, but I didn't." His eyes softened, and I breathed freely again.

"I-I understand, Shay. Oh, don't look like that, I do." Seamus looked incredulous, but I got up and went to kneel before him, grasping his hands in mine.

"If you hadn't come back last year, Shay… I don't know what I would have done. I… I can't live without you, Shay." My voice cracked, and I stood, turning away from Seamus to hide my tears.

"It's ok, Dea, it's alright." Strong arms wound around my waist from behind, and I shut my eyes, tears still leaking out, wetting my cheeks.

"I know." I whispered.

Seamus

The week before Christmas was certainly an eventful one. Many trips to Hogsmeade were scheduled so that students could purchase gifts for friends before breaking up for the holidays. I was walking down there with Harry, Neville, Dean and Ron when the true beauty of Hogwarts hit me. I turned and began to walk backwards as I stared, mouth agape, at the scenery in front of me. Hogwarts, in its true glory; the frosty light framed its silhouette, the wonderful tranquility that settled over it just like the snow drifting from the sky. I smiled serenely, before a rock under my heel brought me back to reality. I tripped, stumbled, fell.

A hand between my shoulder blades; an arm across my lower back; a concerned gaze meeting mine.

"You alright, Shay?" A slightly breathless Dean said, his face mere inches from mine. Everything seemed to fade away into he oceans that where his eyes; I forgot about the others; I forgot about the Dark Lord; I even forgot about Christmas. All I could think about, all I could see… was him.

"Yeah." I whispered, suddenly incredibly aware of how long the seconds seemed as we stood there, Dean stooped over me, his hands still supporting me.

There was no denying it; _I am in love with Dean Thomas._

Dean

A thought flashed through my mind as I pulled Seamus to his feet, blushing furiously. I silently laughed to myself. _Oh shut up,_ I thought, _That can't be true… can it?_ I wasn't denying that I felt something else for Seamus, but it couldn't have been….

We slid into a booth in Honeydukes, and ordered five butterbeers and began to talk about sweet nothings, and all was well until the shamed Slytherin decided to intrude on our happiness.

"Hey, Potter, may I _Slytherin_ to your conversation?" Malfoy taunted, laughing.

"Piss off, Malfoy." Harry said quietly.

"Ooh, not very friendly. Well, I guess you wouldn't have a great sense of humour, considering your choice of friends." Harry stood sharply. Malfoy took a small step backwards, fear flitting across his face, until he remembered himself, and righted his posture.

"And what do you mean by that, Malfoy?" Harry asked, his voice deathly quiet.

"Oh, nothing much… just that you have here with you an Irish half-blood…" I bristled at that. "… a parentless coward…" Neville seemed to shrink in his seat as Harry's face became slowly redder. "… a Weasley of all people…" Ron's hands formed fists under the table. "… and yet another mudblood…" Seamus tensed beside me. I smiled slightly. "… where is that other mudblood? The Granger girl, you know who I-" Malfoy never got to finish his sentence. Harry had launched across the table, butterbeer flying, hands outstretched, pushing Malfoy to the floor as he let out a beast-like roar, his face contorted in rage. Ron, Neville, Seamus and I revelled in the sight for a moment (or two), until we decided that it had gone far enough. We hauled Harry off Malfoy, who was lying panting on the floor, blood running from his nose and a purple bruise already blooming on his right eye. Harry had suffered a small blow to the cheekbone where a small cut had appeared, but he apparently hadn't noticed, as he was still glaring at Malfoy but had given up on struggling against us. We dragged him out of Honeydukes and wandered back up to school, talking about how we could cover up the whole situation.

I'm afraid to say, however, that my attention was not on the conversation. My eyes and thoughts continued to drift back to Seamus; the boy who had entranced me from the very first day that I met him. He was my light and life, and I knew then, in that moment, that i really could never live without him.

There was no denying it; _I am in love with Seamus Finnigan._


	9. Chapter 9

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Nine

Seamus

Christmas day in the Gryffindor dormitory that year was probably one of my favourite thus far. I had stayed for Christmas each year; as had Dean, Neville, Harry and Ron. We exchanged gifts, laughed over the sillier ones, and got a little emotional over the special ones. _He is something special._ I thought to myself. I turned my head to see Neville looking at me kindly, smiling. My face dropped; _he knows._ Neville nodded slowly, softly, as if he had read my thoughts. Neville's smile fell, and he mouthed at me; _Ginny._

Dean had got me a broom ring; these were little custom made bands that went around the handle of your broom. They were meant to give you god luck when you were flying. It had small four-leaf clovers all the way around, with small words in between each one in a language unknown to me.

"What does it say?" I asked Dean, tearing my eyes away from the band for a moment to look at him. I was surprised to see his eyes sparkling with unshed tears as he said,

" _There is a time for luck, and a time for love; let this give you both."_ My chest constricted almost painfully as a stone lodged itself in my throat, unshakeable. All thoughts of Ginny were erased from my mind as I turned to Dean with tears in my eyes.

"Dean…" I croaked. "I… thank you." I hugged him hard from where I was sitting next to him on his bed. It was then that I noticed a small scratching in the bedpost. I squinted at it. It was a clumsy SB next to a heart, with an RL on the other side.

"SB…" I thought aloud.

"Huh?" Dean asked, pulling back from me with his hands still on my shoulders, looking concerned.

"Oh nothing, just that little thing in the wood, d'you see?" I explained, pointing.

"SB… RL… why does that ring a bell?" Dean said, frowning slightly.

"I don't know, I fell like I've seen those initials somewhere." I said.

"What're you guys looking at?" Harry said, shuffling over with a huge bag of chocolate frogs. I pointed to the engraving, and Harry wasn't puzzled by it at all.

"Oh, well, SB is Sirius Black, isn't it? I mean, he was at school here, and would have slept in this dormitory; he was in Gryffindor after all. So… RL must be Remus Lupin! I'm not sure why there's a heart there though…" He said, shrugging and turning away.

"Shay… you don't suppose… no…" Dean said, staring out of the window.

"What?" I asked, perplexed.

"Well… a heart usually does mean some… you know… some sort of romance, right?" Dean said, blushing slightly. I leaned back, studying Dean's face.

"Sirius and Lupin? D'you think?" I was astounded; however, I had to admit, it did add up.

We went to the common room after that, and just sat talking for a while. I fingered Dean's gift the whole time, treasuring it. It was perfect… until I had to mention the thing that had been bugging me for a while, but didn't want to bring up.

"Haven't you noticed how Ginny and Harry look at each other?" I said, feigning casualness.

"What?" Dean said, shocked. I flushed. _I've said the wrong thing. Why, WHY, did I say that?_

"Oh, I just… noticed they looked at each other, is all." I muttered. Dean stood suddenly; I jumped, staring up at his imposing figure.

"What do you think that means, Seamus? You think it means she wants to be with him, don't you? Well, she's with me, Seamus, so don't give me that." His voice went from loud to menacing in a second; it terrified me. "Well, see how you like it when I prove to you how much she wants to be with me, not Harry."

Dean

I strode out of the common room, seeing red. As soon as I closed the portrait of the Fat Lady, the anger drained out of me, and tears began to leak from my eyes. I buried my face in my hands, but looked up as the portrait creaked open behind me.

"You alright, Dean?" It was Ginny.I looked upsharply.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fine." I murmured. Ginny looked at the floor and said softly.

"Dean, I… we can't be together anymore." I knew it was coming, but it was still a blow.

"Oh." That was all I could say. _Seamus was right; he helped me, but I was too blind to see that, and all I've done now is upset him._

"I'm sorry, Dean, I ju-"

"It's Harry, isn't it." I found my voice as the realisation came to me. The statement seemed to shock Ginny, but her shock quickly turned into resignation.

"Yes." She breathed, her eyes glassy.

"I hope you're happy with him. I'm sorry. I have an apology to make." My voice was monotonous, vacant. I was emotionless; in that moment, I felt nothing. I turned slowly.

"Love." I whispered to the Fat Lady. I looked up when nothing happened. The Fat Lady had tears dripping down her cheeks.

"The irony, dear, oh, the irony. I know it didn't work out for you this time, but… go get 'im, Dean." She said, a smile appearing on her chubby face.

"Oh, I intend to." I muttered.

I ran into the common room, and looked immediately to where Seamus sat previously, but he was no longer there.

"Seamus? Has anyone seen Seamus?" I called into the joyful hubbub.

"He's in the dorm, Dean. I tried to comfort him, but he was too upset." Neville gave me a knowing look, and turned, smiling slightly, back Ron and his chess game. I dashed up the steps to the Gryffindor dormitory in which I was meant to be with Seamus.

I stopped in my tracks as I opened the door. Seamus was sitting on my bed, his head in his hands. He was sobbing quietly, his body shaking as he wept. He tensed at the sound of the door, but didn't look up. I couldn't help myself. I ran to him; I put my arms around him and cried through my apologies.

"You were right, Shay, you were right." I cried in-between wracked sobs. "She broke up with me, and it was because of Harry, and I've been such an idiot, Shay… please, forgive me, please… I don't know what I'll do if you don't…" Strong hands wrapped around my arms and slowly removed them from around his neck. I stopped crying immediately.

"You… you don't forgive me? Oh… ok, I understand… I'll make it up t-"

Seamus took my face in his hands and kissed my forehead gently. I was shocked into silence, my voice trailing off as a small whimper rose in my throat.

"That's why I told you, Dea. I didn't want you to get hurt, and I wanted that more than anything in the world. Well, " he laughed mirthlessly, "not quite anything."

"You forgive me?" I asked again.

"As long as you forgive me."

 _*sorry it's a bit short, I thought I'd just leave it there… trust me, year seven will sure be an eventful year ;) *_


	10. Chapter 10

When We Were Just Friends

Year 7

be warned! some events have been changed from the books… eg. muggleborns didn't have to leave hogwarts until the seventh year - bill and fleur get married in the seventh year - teddy lupin is already born and a little older etc.

Chapter 10

Seamus

Our seventh and final year in Hogwarts was most definitely an eventful one. The first few months was a tense time, but Dean and I were together, and that was all that mattered.

"I… I have to leave Hogwarts, Shay." Dean whispered to me one night as we lay side by side on his bed, talking.

"I know." A tear slid down the side of my face. "Dean… I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" He breathed. I took a couple of deep breaths, steeling myself for the worst. I had to tell him how I felt.

"I don't know why I haven't told you before now, but-"

"AAAARRRGGGHHH!" A terrible scream echoed through the dormitory. Dean stood swiftly, and I followed. Harry had shot upright in bed, and was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead. Ron was looking over him with concern, ready with Harry's glasses in hand.

"Thanks." Harry breathed. "Sorry for waking you guys."

"We were awake anyway." Dean muttered.

"What was it, mate?" Ron asked.

"It was… him. He's found out that the locket's gone. He'll come here soon. I know it." Harry said sadly, mopping his brow.

"How long do we have?" Dean breathed. Harry looked at Dean as if he was seeing him for the first time.

"You need to go, Dean! You, Hermione… you're muggle-borns, they'll go for you first!"

"I know." Dean murmured. "I'll go soon. How long do I have to get away from here?"

"A week at least, I think. You should go as soon as possible."

"Yeah… g'night guys…" Dean muttered, climbing back into bed. I waited until Harry and Ron had returned to bed before getting in beside him.

"What were you going to tell me, Shay?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow." I said, butterflies coming alive in my chest. Dean laughed softly.

"If you keep procrastinating, Shay, you'll never get the chance to tell me."

Dean

What if he was going to… no, he couldn't feel like that… could he? If he told me that he… felt more for me… I don't know how I could leave Hogwarts without him.

The next day I gave the Fat Lady the password, and entered the Gryffindor common room. Seamus was sat in his favourite armchair, reading. He looked so serene, so beautiful, I just had to take a moment to drink it in. I took a deep breath and walked slowly froward towards him. At the sound of my footsteps he turned his head, smiling when he saw it was me. My heart skipped a beat; he was so happy, even in the face of danger. He always knew that what we all needed was a smile, not warnings and morose thoughts.

"Dean." He said simply.

"Shay, we need to talk." I said, before cringing. _Why did I say that?_ His face dropped alongside my heart.

"What about?" He looked so scared I just had to rush to him, and take his hand.

"It's nothing bad, Shay, I promise." He visibly relaxed, and I smiled. "Seamus, I… I've felt this way for a long time, and I feel like I should tell you now, before I-"

"I love you too." My heart seemed to stop beating as time slowed.

"You… you do?"

" That… that was what you were going to say, r-right?"

"Y-yes… yes, I… Seamus Finnigan, I am in love with you." I couldn't help it, I just had to say it. Seamus' smile didn't falter as he stood and rushed into my arms, embracing me tightly.

"And I with you, Dean Thomas." He breathed against my chest. My heart exploded with joy. Seamus pulled back slightly, and stood on tiptoes in order to reach. He placed a hand on my cheek, and looked into my eyes.

"I really do love you with all my heart." He whispered, half closing his eyes as he leaned into me. Before I knew it, his soft lips were pressed against mine, and my dreams were lived. He pulled back, panic flashing across his face when I didn't return his kiss.

"I'm sorry, I-" I swallowed his words as I brushed my lips against his, unable to break my smile. Seamus chuckled, and deepened the kiss; I loved and cherished each second, embedding them in my memories.

"You will be the end of me, Shay, I promise you that." I murmured against his lips. Seamus gently pulled me back to the armchair, nearer the fire. We fell into the chair, laughing.

"I wish you didn't have to go." Seamus whispered.

"I wish you didn't want to stay and fight You-Know-Who." I replied, my voice breaking slightly. Seamus responded by kissing me powerfully, his lips enveloping mine.

Seamus

I couldn't believe it. Dean Thomas, the love of my life, felt the same way as me. I couldn't help myself; I giggled from where I lay with Dean on the carpet in the dorm. Don't ask why we were on the floor; at some point we had just fallen about laughing. I think this was what people meant when they said they were drunk on happiness. We had forgotten about the war; we had forgotten about Dean having to leave; we had forgotten how to be unhappy.

All throughout the night we talked under the comfort of a Muffilato charm and the bed curtain. We laughed; we cried; we shared sweet sipping kisses as we told each other things we had never told anyone before. Little did we know, that night was to be out last together for a long time.

The morning came, and we rose from out blissful ignorance into the harsh reality of war and pain that was waiting for us. Harry, Ron and Hermione had already left Hogwarts. Ron's brother was getting married to the french girl who was in the Triwizard Tournament; a great shame, the others thought. They were required at the Burrow to help with the weeding, and attend, of course.

With Dumbledore gone - a tragedy that had rocked the school and our foundations the previous year - Snape had been left as Headmaster of Hogwarts. It was like Umbridge all over again; something we never wanted to relive. Each and every day, we trudged around the school, startling at each small sounds like animals, wary of everything but each other. Well, mostly.

"Hello, Dean." A seductive, sly voice echoed towards us through the hallway. We turned: a from marred Dean features until he saw who it was. Then, his face relaxed and he sighed, his eyes closing tightly.

"Please don't fight her." He breathed. I could already see that was going to be a problem.

Dean

I reluctantly opened my eyes, and I was greeted by the sight of someone I had never wanted to see again stalking towards Seamus and I, flipping her long blue-black hair.

Harper Jones - the first muggleborn to be sorted into Slytherin for centuries (the first one was executed it was that long ago), and with good reason. Her bright purple eyes were narrowed, her full, glossed lips curled into a smirk. She had very sharp features, not unlike Malfoy, with high cheekbones and a pointy chin. She certainly caught the gazes of the other boys in the corridor; not Seamus and I though (obviously ;) ), as she had relentlessly tormented me for the whole of our second year whenever Seamus was never around, so he never knew. _Oh no, ok, alright, she's here, ok, great._ I thought nervously in my head. I was genuinely scared that Seamus wouldn't hesitate to throw a punch at her if she went too far.

"Hello, Harper." I said slowly.

"How're you doing, Dean?" She trailed a finger down my cheek, nipping the skin with her fingernail, whispering in my ear, "I haven't seen you in so long. When did you get so tall, and so… hot…" Seamus visibly tensed beside me and I placed a hand on his arm to try and relax him. I knew that Harper had no effect on me, but he didn't. _Oh, Merlin's saggy left-_

"Oh, hello… Shawn, it's _very_ nice to see you." Harper snarled, her smile seeming to melt off her face like hot wax.

"It's Seamus." I growled, moving to stand between her and Seamus.

"Ooh, getting feisty," that malicious, seductive smile was back. "I like that…" She was getting slowly closer to me until her face was inches from my own.

"We don't want you here, Harper. He's not interested." Seamus had stepped around me and was glaring something scary at her. _Is it bad that I'm a little turned on?_ I shook the thought out of my head, and returned to my position of keeping them away from each other.

"Oh really, Shawn… it seems to me that Dean really _does_ want me here." She murmured, leaning forward so that her lips brushed my earlobe as she spoke. Seamus jumped forward as shoved her forcefully off me. I smiled to myself for a moment, before deciding it was time to really step in. I took Seamus' arm, and muttered,

"Come on, it's not worth it." but Seamus didn't register my words. He only calmed down once we were sat in an abandoned classroom, out of the sightline of Harper.

"You alright, Shay?" I whispered, encouraging him to look me in the eye with a finger beneath his chin. When the oceans that I so often drowned in finally met mine, they took my breath away just as they did every single time.

Before I knew it, my lips were empowered by the most intense kiss I'd ever experienced. I was lost in the realms of euphoria as Seamus' lips moved against mine, drawing whimpers and sounds of joy from me.

The door opened.


	11. Chapter 11

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Eleven

same as chapter 10 - I've changed some things, so don't be surprised if something's different!

Seamus

Hermione walked in, laden with books as always. She glanced up, and did a small double-take. She blushed, giggling.

"Oh, hello boys. I won't tell those who don't know. I'll, uh… I'll leave you to it." She chuckled, and left presumably to find another empty classroom.

"Who else knows? How did _she_ know?" I wondered aloud, bewildered. Dean laughed, lovingly caressing my cheek.

"She's Hermione, Shay. She knows everything."

The next few minutes were spent in utter euphoria, before we decided to actually show the rest of our year that we were still alive, so we left the classroom and headed up to the common room. My happiness was brief, however.

Harper Jones; my newfound enemy. Well, I couldn't ignore the war going on with You-Know-Who, but she was in the immediate range of the seniority of my own personal hostility, so that is exactly what I was giving her (in the form of the occasional death-stare in her direction).

"Oh, stop it, Shay." Dean chided as he bought me giving Harper one of these famous death-stares. "I know she deserves it, with her making me help her when we need to go on the run, but-"

"WHAT?!" I screeched (much to my embarrassment only moments afterwards), my eyes wide in ignorant disbelief. Dean cringed, stuttering in his explanation;

"Y-Yeah, she asked me if she could c-come with me when we left, and I didn't really say yes, so she… she blackmailed me, Shay!" He cried, childish exasperation clear in his voice.

"What did she do?" I growled, anger slowly simmering in the pit of my stomach. Dean looked down, shame colouring his cheeks. I softened, guiding his eyes up to meet mine with a hand to his cheek.

"No matter what, I am going to make it known that you are mine, and that no one else can have you." I breathed. Dean's pupils dilated slightly, before his eyes fluttered shut. He leaned towards me, inviting me. His tender lips met mine, and I had the delightful revelation that Dean wasn't going to let Harper anywhere near him. Dean broke off the kiss, smiling.

"I have something for you, just to make sure you know that I'm safe." He pulled a small shard of glass from his bag, swathed in a brown leather so it wouldn't harm its handler.

"You have one, I have one. That way, we can see and hear each other if we ever feel the need… and, of course, we'll know if each other is safe…" His voice broke and I took him in my arms, tears blurring my vision.

"Thank you." I whispered, closing my eyes against the waterfall threatening to spill over.

Dean

It was going to be all too soon before I would have to run from Hogwarts; flee from my family; hide from those I held most dear. It broke me to know that I would leave my friends to fend for themselves against Snape and the Carrows, knowing that they might be beaten and broken by the time I saw them again.

I swiped quickly at my eyes, brushing stray tears away. _Be strong. Be strong, if not for yourself, but for them._ I glanced at Seamus sleeping soundly beside me, his arm draped over mine, as if he was telling everyone ' _he's mine'._ I grinned to myself, and rolled out of bed, taking care not to wake him. My smile faded as I looked out of the window of the Gryffindor dormitory to see the darkness and rain awaiting me. _It's time._

I had all my things packed within ten minutes, and was ready to go within twenty. I was striding through the common room when a small cough stopped me in my tracks.

"Going somewhere, Dean?" _Harper._ I turned slowly on toe and heel, unwilling to be greeted by the falsely pleasant face that had haunted my thoughts for the previous few days.

"Yes." I hissed through gritted teeth. She was sitting in a travelling cloak surrounded by many bags of many shades of pink. "You can't take all of those." I said bluntly. I had no patience for her that night. None at all.

"Why ever not?" Harper said, faking sweet naivety, her eyes wide with innocence.

"We're on the run, Harper," my frustration was building steadily, "You can take one bag, and one bag only; and one that's easy to run with as well." It took a good five minuted of me obviously looking at the clock every five seconds, and her glaring at me in-between, for her to finally decide which bag she was taking.

"Can I leave now?" I asked her, annoyance evident in my voice.

"Never without me, Deany-Boy, you should know that by now." She condescended. I snarled a little before turning swiftly and marched out of the door with Harper flitting around behind me.

Seamus

I woke slowly that morning, letting my eyes open gradually and stretching out, smiling… before I realised that the space next to me was empty. My eyes shot open, and I hurried to get out of bed, further tangling myself in the sheets in the process, looking around franticly for any sign of Dean. My eyes found a note on the floor next to my bed; I picked it up, and eased it open.

 _My love,_

 _I woke up this morning and knew that it was the time to go. I hope that we will be able to see each other soon enough. Do not forget the gift I gave you. If all this turns south, know that I will love you always._

 _I love you with all my heart and soul._

 _Dean xx_

The ink on the page smudged slightly as salty tears dripped from my cheeks. I folded it carefully, and pressed it to my lips as I cried. I stowed it in the pocket of my robes, and got up off my bed, scrubbing a hand over my weary face. I stood and dressed slowly, time seeming to slow as my eyes fogged over and my brain clouded.

I couldn't believe that he was gone. I mean, I knew I was going to see him again. _I will, won't I?_ Doubt and fear cleared my mind for a moment, before gloom replaced the darkness. _Maybe I won't._

I headed down the stairs, each step a conscious effort. I met Neville on the way to the Great Hall, and he immediately took my arm and steered me off to one side of the corridor.

"What's wrong, Seamus?" He said, concern written on his face. I showed him the note, numb. Neville grinned for a moment, muttering something that sounded like ' _I knew it!',_ before sadness came over his face.

"I'm sorry, Seamus. We all knew it was coming, I guess." He said comfortably, his hand on my shoulder. We carried on towards breakfast, but I couldn't eat with fear for Dean eating away at me. He wasn't safe, but neither were we, I supposed. He would have been just as worried about us as we were about him. I sighed over the DADA essay I had unconsciously removed from my bag; a cold voice startled me into reality.

"What's up with you, Finnigan?" Malfoy sneered. "Missing your mudblood boyfr-" I punched him square in the face before he could finish. Tears blurred my vision for as it had many times already that day, and I turned away from him, shoving my work back into my bag and hurrying out of the room, hoping for Malfoy's sake that he didn't stop me. A hand on my shoulder and that same voice that had stirred me before caused me to turn, fists raised and all guns blazing. I swung my fists madly, cries of fury echoing through the hall. I was deaf to any sound as I pummelled Malfoy, his arms raised against me but doing nothing to stop me. I was vaguely aware of strong hands pulling me backwards off Malfoy, who lay on the ground, blood pooling around his head. Surprise cut through my anger as I realised that those large, powerful hands belonged to Neville, and I was even more surprised to see Hermione running towards Malfoy's side, terror in her eyes.

Dean

My first night on the run was harder than I expected. It was certainly a harrowing, yet enlightening experience. _This is what it's like,_ I thought. _This is what it's like to have your life not in your hands, but in someone else's._ The person in whom my fate rested was not someone I ever wanted to lay eyes on; V-Vol… Vold… _Come on, say it! Voldemort!_ The thought was enough to send a shiver down my spine. A light tap on my shoulder reminded me that Harper was lain next to me in our tent, forever determined to irritate and inconvenience me.

"Dean?" She breathed. I turned over, muttering an angry retort, before her sheer proximity made me suck in a breath.

"What?" I whispered, her face inches from my own. The last time I had spoken to her, she was lying a good four feet from me in a separate bed. Now, she was right next to me, her lips sticky with gloss and open as she breathed heavily, pushing her chest into mine.

"I… I'm frightened. I need to to protect me." She murmured, her gaze flicking down to my lips. I frowned at her, and an image of Seamus came into me head; in truth he had never left my thoughts since the moment I ran from Hogwarts. I smiled wistfully, reliving our last kiss. Harper's mouth stretched into a delighted smile; she had taken my own smile to mean something else. Something I really wasn't thinking about.

"Oh, Dean." She breathed, lifting a leg to rest over my own, persistently pressing her chest against mine, her breath hot on my face. Before I knew it, her mouth was kneading against mine, so forceful it was almost uncomfortable. I was so stunned that I was unable to move for a good few seconds. The glint of the partnering shard to the one I had given Seamus caught my gaze, and I came to my senses. I pushed her away, disgusted with myself. _How could I let that happen?_ I pulled the shard from my bag, wiping a hand across my mouth to rid it of sticky pink gloss. My heart dropped at the sight of Seamus' blue eyes, sparkling with tears and anger as he stared at me, betrayal written over his face.

"Seamus, I-"

"Save it." Seamus seemed to drop the shard on the floor, as the view changed from his pained face to the ceiling of what I recognised to be the Gryffindor common room. I heard Neville shouting after him, and I saw a large pair of feet run past. I sighed, a lump rising in my throat. I rounded on Harper, my heart pounding with rage.

"How could you do that?" I screamed. "How could you?" I ran out of the tent, angrily swiping at my eyes. I looked up, and stopped abruptly, my face slackening.

" _Lumos."_ I whispered warily. The light cut through the shadows cast by the trees around us; fear grew in my chest like a seed sprouting into a tree. I crept through the shrubbery, each footfall cautious and careful. _Someone is watching me._ I slip between a pair of dark bushes, startling at a flash of pale hair whipping out of sight, dark robes swishing behind it. I had seen that exact shade of platinum on only one other person in my life; I had seen it every day, but avoided it like the plague for fear of conflict. That person could not have been there, though, not then… _it must be…_

Lucius Malfoy sneaked through the trees, glancing around him as if he was hiding from someone. Eyes narrowed, he dashed across a small clearing, terror flashing across his face as a bush rustled, and stayed wary when a small animal scurried out. He turned and scanned the shrubbery. I ducked, fearing detection. I risked looking up after a few moments, and my mouth dropped open. Harper was standing at the edge of the clearing in full view, unaware of the danger she was in.


	12. Chapter 12

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter 12

same as before, things are different… you get the idea - oh, but harry, ron and hermione had not been captured yet by the snatchers, and neither had dean, so look out for that coming up!

Seamus

"No. No way am I going to apologise to Malfoy." My eyes were shut tight against the reality of it.

"You have to, come on, Seamus." Neville coaxed me, becoming more impatient with each resistance.

"Why though?" I whined like a small child. Neville grabbed me by the shoulders and dragged me towards the Hospital Wing with surprising strength, his biceps bulging.

"When did you get so…?" I spluttered.

"So what?" He asked, looking perplexed, determination fleeting in his eyes.

"Nothing." I laughed, giving in. We strolled jovially to the Hospital Wing, but our laughter died as we approached the huge oaken doors that we had entered so many times before. That time felt different; it felt as if we shouldn't have been there. It felt wrong to have been laughing before, whilst Harry, Ron, Hermione and Dean were out there, in danger. We pushed the doors open, and dread settled like a sunken stone in the pit of my stomach. Malfoy lay in the bed nearest the door, the curtain around his bed drawn halfway. His left eye was swollen and black, a deep cut running along the length of his eyebrow. His jawing was obscured by a purple bruise stretching from just beneath his left ear to his chin. Remorse shot through me like a bullet, and I shook my head to rid myself of the aftershocks. I actually felt sorry for him, the boy who had tormented me and, even worse, my friends, who I had beaten up with very good reason. I didn't so much regret what I had done to him; more what he had grown to become. I knew we could have been kinder to him, but he really hadn't made it easy to keep that in mind. Malfoy stirred, and Madam Pomfrey shuffled over to sit him up, opening a bottle of pills with one hand whilst guiding him up with the other.

"That's skill if I ever saw it." Neville muttered to me under his breath, his face reflecting wonder. I agreed with him; the deftness with which she held Malfoy up whilst pouring him a glass of water to swallow the pills with without even letting go of the bottle without the use of magic was amazing. Pomfrey finally noticed us awkwardly standing there, and frowned at us.

"You haven't come to, uh…. finish the job, have you, boys?" She wearied. Neville's eyes widened as he franticly stumbled over himself to answer her. As soon as she noticed how frankly innocent Neville was, Pomfrey's face softened, and she reached a hand out to Neville. "Okay, Okay, I can see that you're not. What are you here for?" She inquired almost suspiciously.

"We… we wanted to…" I looked at Neville pleadingly, struggling to confess what I was about to do.

"Seamus wants to apologise to Mal- to Draco." He responded happily. The ground seemed to sway under my feet as I shivered; _who would've guessed it?_

"Oh." Madam Pomfrey said simply, blinking rapidly as if Confunded. "All… alright then, I'll, um… I'll leave you to it, then." She scurried off again, occasionally glancing over her shoulder. I placed a hand on Neville's arm, and pray he would understand. I just couldn't help but worry, despite what I'd seen.

"There's something I have to do. I promise I'll be back in a minute, I… I just have to… to check on him, you know?"

Dean

We were doomed. Harper stood with her semi-permanent smirk plastered on her orange face (or at least it looked orange to me), dazedly looking around, her eyes glazed and skimming over both me and Malfoy with each sweep of her gaze. The reality hit my like a sledgehammer; _he's put the Impirius curse on her._ I knew that if I went near her and tried to get her out of there, Malfoy would know immediately even if he didn't see me. I cursed under my breath, and began to form a plan in my head. The counter-curse was difficult, almost too difficult for me. If I tried it and i didn't work, then Harper will have seen me for sure by then, and we'd both be dead. I dragged my eyes back to Malfoy, dread filling my stomach like acid; it felt as if I was drowning in a well that was never ending, and no one could hear me scream. Seamus was still mad at me, Harper was under Malfoy's curse, Harry, Ron and Hermione were most likely on the other side of the world at this rate. We truly were doomed.

 _Don't give up hope, Dea._ The voice resounding in my head sounded too good to be true. It was Seamus' voice, his Irish lilt that I had cherished all he years I had known him. _What if I die with him angry? What if we never see each other again?_ It occurred to me that I whispering out loud, and I clapped a hand over my mouth.

 _I won't be angry as long as I understand what happened, I promise._ The promise sounded false as I looked around. My eyes found a little silver fox sitting on its haunches beside me. I gave a start and fell lightly into the bush I was hiding behind. I stilled, my blood running cold at the crack of Malfoy's head whipping towards me. I couldn't breath; I felt as if I was suffocating. I feared the worst.

"Seamus," I breathed, still fully aware of Harper mere meters from me, "I love you, and I would never do anything against you. If I die here, now, which seems very likely to me right now," my voice cracked a little, and my heart almost stopped, but I continued dispute my fear, "I hope you can find happiness elsewhere. I would always wish that you could be wherever I end up alongside me, but I would never want to take your life from you for my own happiness. I will never take anything from you for my own happiness. In fact, I will give everything I had to you if it makes you happy." Silent tears were now trickling down my face, and I let them trace their paths before dripping onto my collar. I shut my eyes tight to stem the flow. "I love you."

 _I love you too, and don't go dying on me now, okay? We still need to talk about what happened between you and Harper, don't forget that._ I laughed wheezily, opening my eyes. Seamus was gone. Harper stood in front of me, a smile slitting her face. Malfoy stood beside her, sneered.

"Hello, Dean. I've heard a lot about you."

Seamus

I opened my eyes, and tears rushed to the surface. I sniffed, and wiped my eyes, gritting my teeth.

"No. You know what he did to you. Don't let that fool you." I growled into the empty space before me. I shot to my feet and strode out of the darkened room, my eyes still watering slightly. I shoved open the doors to the Hospital Wing, my brows in an angry line as I marched over to Malfoy. I sat heavily in the chair next to his bed, my eyes closing softly.

"What's up, Finnigan?" A croaky voice reached my ears and my eyes burst open. Malfoy was propped up on his elbow, looking a me from under lowered lashes.

"Ugh, nothing… just with Dean gone… and with Harper of all people… and then with them k… kissing, and-" my voice broke, and buried my face in my hands.

"Hey, hey, Finnigan, it's okay." Malfoy said with surprising gentleness. "I get that it's hard with all the muggle-borns gone, but what's so bad about him kissing Harper?" I sighed, unsure what to say.

"Well, um… you know what you said that made me… made me punch you?" I muttered.

"What, that Dean was your mud… your muggle-born boyfriend?" He said, his brow creased in confusion. His face cleared as realisation swept over his face. "He's… he's not your… really?"

"Yeah, he is. Or was…" I whispered, fresh tears building in my eyes.

"Oh, Finnigan. I know what it feels like with them gone, and-"

"Wait," My eyes widened, "You do? Why's the…" I trailed off, understanding clearing my mind. "You're in love with one of the muggle-borns, aren't you? You can't even say m… mud… that word anymore!" Malfoy spluttered and flailed in an attempt to deny it. Eventually, he groaned, and sank back into his pillows.

"Well… I suppose you could say that." His cheeks were on fire, and I felt the urge to laugh; however, Malfoy's miserable expression quenched it.

"Who?" I asked softly.

"None other than the brightest witch of our age." He said pitifully. My jaw dropped, and I made a conscious effort to put it back into place. "Shut your trap, Finnigan, you'll catch flies in there." Malfoy grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. I laughed good-naturedly, and he looked up with something in his eyes that wasn't there before.

"Hermione? But isn't she…" My laughter died alongside the newfound light in Malfoy's eyes.

"Always hanging around with Potter and _Weasley_? Yeah." He spat out Ron's name as if it left a bad taste on his tongue.

"I've… I've noticed her hanging around you a little more than she used to, though." I hurried to console him (I have no idea why), "She looks at you quite often, as well. I know a look of longing when I see one."

"Really?" Malfoy whimpered incredulously. "I think you may need glasses, Finnigan." I laughed again, and the look of surprise that rose on his face was unexpected. Malfoy smiled, and chuckled a little. _He's… softer because of her,_ I thought.

Dean

I was trapped. Completely and utterly trapped. Malfoy had cast the Impirius curse on me, or something like it. I couldn't control myself, but was fully aware of every move I made. I walked almost robotically beside him as he rambled on about what he was going to do to me, and how the Snatchers would be so pleased to have me. I sneered internally, comparing him to that of a kicked puppy; ever eager to please his master, and too scared to do anything but. We finally reached a beaten old wagon that had been altered to bear steel bars on the rickety doors, and metal rings on the inside that had thick rope tired onto them, presumably for restricting prisoners. I was thrown ruthlessly into the wagon, and the roped proceeded to tie themselves around my wrists and ankles. I closed my eyes, wishing for it all to be some horrible dream. When I opened my eyes again, they were heavy with sleep, and light streamed through the bars; daytime. I sat there for what felt like days, but was merely hours. I heard Malfoy saying to the leader of the Snatchers that he was returning to Malfoy Manor, and that he should return there also only if he had Harry Potter. My blood ran cold at the sound of his name, and prayed I would not see him while I was still in confines. It felt like minutes had gone by before the door opened and a large shadow blocked the grey light that was all I had to see by. The shadow moved aside and three bodies were hurled into the small prison alongside me. The wagon was not meant to accommodate for that many people, so the shadow flicked his wand and the two other roped that had been winding themselves around two of my fellow prisoners slacked and fell to the floor. The doors slammed shut, and it took me a minute to readjust to the light. Three familiar faces swam into view, and my heart dropped.

"Dean?" It was Hermione.

"Dean? Dean Thomas is here?" I caught a flash of ginger hair. If both Ron and Hermione were there, then that meant…

"Oh, you didn't get captured too, did you?" Harry groaned, hiding his face in his hands. I found energy in my stiff muscles and struggled violently against my restraints.

"You must get out! Hermione, if you still have your wand, try something, please, you have to get out!" I panted, my head throbbing from the sudden movement. Hermione rushed over to me and began to stroke my hair, whispering something to me. I was instantly soothed, and rationality returned to me. "Thanks." I muttered, gracious. I squinted at Harry. "What have you done to your face?" Harry laughed mirthlessly.

"Quick thinking from Hermione, that's what," He explained. "We were running from the Snatchers, but they were catching up. They now think I'm a dashing young man named Vernon Dudley."


	13. Chapter 13

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Thirteen

Seamus

I chatted with Malfoy through the night, before we both decided it wasn't worth me getting caught by Filch, so I snuck off back to the dormitory. I lay in bed awake for the rest of the night, contemplating what made Malfoy change so much towards me. I knew how he felt about Hermione, and he knew about Dean and I… if there was still a Dean for me. My mood soured, and I wanted to forgive him with everything I had, but him and Harper…

I got up early, and prepared myself for another day of torture; and that wasn't an understatement. Neville got up alongside me, and with one look at his face, I knew he hadn't slept either. I smiled weakly at him, and we dressed slowly without speaking. We made our way down to the Great Hall, but we both stopped outside of the large oaken doors. Neville glanced at me, and I looked back, and there was something akin to dread in his eyes.

"It'll be okay." I sighed, bracing myself. I strode in, shoulders back, with Neville trailing behind me. It must have looked comical, the small one marching ahead and the strongly-built tall one walking meekly behind. My confident demeanour quickly withered as Snape glowered at us from Dumbledore's seat. Alecto Carrow sat on his left, Amycus on the right. Hatred grew in my chest as I laid eyes on them. I truly hated them, and with good reason.

Dean

I had lost all hope by the time we reached Malfoy Manor. I knew that one of us, at least, was never making it out of there; we'd be lucky if it was only one. All of us would be scarred, most of us would be hurt, and all but one would be alive. I didn't know how I knew it, but I did.

The Snatchers threw me into the dungeon, but kept Harry, Ron and Hermione behind. The second the bars clanged shut, I strained to hear what was happening, until…

"Dean?" The soft voice of Luna Lovegood echoed slightly through the dark, damp dungeon.

"Luna." I breathed in shock, and hugged her, agape. "What are you doing here? What happened?"

"Oh, well, some very horrid men came to my house, and my father tried to ward them off, apologising quite a lot… I wonder what he had to apologise for… but he seemed to know the men, so when they said that they'd take me from him, he got rather flustered. They grabbed me soon after, and I ended up in here." She explained casually, a small smile on her face. She was a bit mad, I wasn't denying that, but sometimes, she was a breath of fresh air. "Mr Ollivander?" She called. A stooped shadow dragged its feet as it shuffled towards us. I squinted slightly, and made out the face of an exhausted-looking, haggard Ollivander, the wandmaker. I shook his hand, frowning.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, glancing at Luna.

"I am not." She said lightly, smiling.

"No, dear boy, merely weak." Ollivander croaked, his eyelids drooping. I guided him to a dirty stool by the wall, and he nodded his gratitude. I resumed my position by the door, listening. I was just in time to hear… _Draco Malfoy? His father must have taken him out of school this morning._ He was saying that he didn't know who someone was, that he had never seen him before. His father was threatening him, telling him that if he was wrong, there would be consequences so severe he would wish he was never born. I felt something like sympathy for Malfoy, and cringed slightly. I backed away from the bars before they swung open for a disfigured Harry and disgruntled Ron to be flung inside. The lock clicked, and we were trapped once more.

"They didn't recognise you?" I asked worriedly. Harry frowned, confusion marring his features.

"No, but… but I was sure, sure that Malfoy would… that Malfoy _did…"_ He broke off, a sigh emitting from his scarred lips. A loud scream resonated through the whole building, and I noticed both Ron and Draco flinching in ernest.

"We need to do something!" He gasped, terror paling his face.

"What's happening?" Luna beat me to it.

"She's torturing Hermione."

Seamus

"Defence Against the Dark Arts. What does this mean to you?" The cold, sarcastic voice of Amycus Carrow chilled me to the bone. Alecto stood beside her brother, staring us down one by one. Her unyielding eyes met mine, and I knew that we were in for something horrible.

"Well, kids," she spat, "You see these first years?" A bunch of terrified eleven-year-olds gazed at us with terror in their eyes. "The word is _Crucio._ Harris, get over here." A tiny girl with black hair shuffled forward, her eyes glistening. Alecto grabbed one of her ponytails, and she squealed, tears streaming down her pale face. Amycus scanned our faces, and rested on mine.

"Finnigan," he growled, "Come here." I pulled my shoulders back, and glared at him, shoving my way through the students. I stopped and stood in front of the little girl, softening my stare, trying to comfort her without letting the Carrows notice.

Amycus suddenly grabbed me by the collar, pulling his face close to mine.

"You think you're better than us, you little faggot? Where's your little mudblood boyfriend, huh? He on the run? Well, we'll find him. We'll pull him limb from limb, killing him slowly as he screams for you, but you're not there…" I struggled in his iron grip, unwilling to be victim to his mind games. Amycus shoved me away from him, a satisfied smirk on his face. I raised my wand; the girl tried to free herself from Alecto, but she only succeeded in making the meanest of the Carrow twins hold onto her harder.

"Do it, Finnigan." Amycus snarled. My hand shook, along with my voice.

"C… Crucio!" I wheeled around, and the spell missed him by inches.

"Class. Dismissed." Amycus stalked towards me as Alecto flung the first year towards the door, sneering. Everyone ran. I had accepted my fate, but I had not anticipated Neville standing there beside me, a determined look on his face. I smiled to myself, grateful for my friend in that moment. The next hour was filled with both punches, kicks and insults being thrown at us. I don't know how they knew. Maybe Hermione and Neville had been talking about it, and… _all want is for Dean to be safe, it doesn't matter about what they do to me. As long as he's safe, nothing matters._

Dean

"Who?" I gasped, horrified.

"Bellatrix LeStrange." Harry spat, fury evident in his voice and on his face. I buried my face in my hands momentarily, dread settling in my stomach.

"We need to get out of here."

"Right you are, sir." A squeaky voice made me jim out of my skin, but then I saw it was only Dobby, the little house elf that had snuck me some of Seamus' favourite foods from the kitchens to cheer him up when he was down. My heart sank even further at the thought of Shay, but I quenched the sadness, and concentrated on escaping.

"Take Luna and Ollivander first, Dobby, we'll see you there." I commanded, smiling at him with the warmth I didn't feel.

"Where, sir?"

"Go to Bill and Fleur's cottage, Dobby." Ron suggested helpfully.

"Right you are." Was Dobby's response as he held their hands, and with a _pop,_ they were gone.

"What do we do?" I asked, determined to help. Harry smiled at me kindly.

"Go, Dean. This isn't your fight."

"This isn't my fight? Oh, no, how silly of me for thinking it was." I said brazenly. "Of course it's my bloody fight, Harry. I've been on the run the past month, and I'm intending to return to Hogwarts to fight You-Know-Who, wether it's my duty or not. I believe it is my duty to the school and to Dumbledore to fight this, Harry, and I very well intend to." Harry grinned at me, and I knew that he wasn't going to let me stay. Dobby appeared with a crack next to me, and before I knew it, his long, thin fingered were holding mine.

"Be careful." I managed to call before we disapparated with a crack.

The salty air whipped my face, and my eyes begun to water. Luna was leading Ollivander towards a small cottage, her long blonde hair lashing around in the wind. Dobby let go of my hand, and prepared to return to Malfoy Manor. I grabbed the flailing pillow case that he wore, and he looked at me, blinking rapidly.

"Is there somewhere you wish me to take you, sir?" He asked innocently.

"Dobby, please take me to Hogwarts."

I walked slowly through the corridors, staring around me in horror. Everything was in disarray, and I hated it. Portraits lay discarded on the floor; lights flickered; dust floated in the air like mist. I etched into my pocket to get my wand, and found it empty. Panic filled me as I patted down all my pockets, wondering where I could have dropped it. _The Snatchers probably took it from you when you were asleep, idiot. They wouldn't exactly leave you with it, would they?_ I thought to myself. I wandered instinctively into the Gryffindor common room. I stopped up short as a low Irish voice met my ears.

"I am sending you this because of the owl you sent me, and it's a howler because I'm angry at you, okay? I am not leaving. I will never leave, not while my friends are in danger." My heart melted and I lent against the wall, shaking slightly. "Go… go stay in a hotel or something, mum, don't come here." I gasped. _He's talking to his mother?_ "I know you're worried, and want to come get me, but it's not safe for you here. It's… it's not safe for anyone here right now, which is why I can't leave." I was falling for him all over again; I was falling for his candour, his love for his friends and family, his happiness in his own skin. Then I realised… I was literally falling. The floor rushed up to meet me, and the breath left my body. I groaned, pushing myself up with my hands; I stilled. Seamus was standing right in front of me. My eyes trailed up his body, preparing myself for the glare I would receive. My jaw dropped. If I had seen him from a distance, I would not have recognised him. The whole of the left side of his face was riddled with black and blue bruises, cuts running like cracks in between. His right eyebrow was slashed through, the slice ending just above the corner of his eye, buying me a small sigh of relief that it hadn't been worse.

"What are you doing here?" He growled, pushing past me. I spluttered, forgetting everything I had planned to say to him. I ran after him, calling his name, apologising in every way I could think of, trying to explain. Seamus wasn't having any of it. He brushed me off, scoffing whenever I made an excuse, never looking me in the eye.

 _Help me, Merlin. This is going to be hard._


	14. Chapter 14

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Fourteen

by the way, mad eye's alive for this one ;)

Seamus

We walked quickly, Dean trailing after me like a lost puppy. Everyone was gathered in the Room of Requirement, and I sat heavily next to Hannah Abbott, and Dean crouched next to me. There was no time for talk. I bluntly told Dean about where Neville had gone. I wasn't expecting much from his trip to Aberforth's; he hadn't come back with much the last few times. I winced, and Dean looked at me pointedly.

"You should really let me look at that." He said, concern lacing his voice. I shrugged away from him.

"I'm fine." I grunted. The painting we had all been glancing at every few minutes swung open, and Neville stood there, looking triumphant.

"Listen up, you lot. I brought you a surprise." He said, grinning.

"Not more of Aberforth's cooking, I hope. It'll be a surprise if we can digest it." I said good-naturedly, slapping Dean's hand away as he tried to dab at the cut through my eyebrow. Neville chuckled, and stood aside. _Harry_. I beamed, and stood, clapping. I couldn't help it, and it seemed everyone else couldn't either. We cheered, and laughed, a sound that hadn't reached our ears for a long while. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville climbed down, and shut the open portrait. The laughter quickly died at their sombre expressions. Harry quickly explained the means of their return; _so their looking for something, but they don't know what it is. Great._

" _Where_ is it?" Dean wondered aloud.

"I don't know." Harry said slowly. "I know it's not much to go on, but-"

"That's nothing to go on." I said bitterly. Harry cringed, and I immediately regretted my harshness. I subconsciously linked my little finger with Dean's, something I had always done when I was scared. I saw him smile out of the corner of my eye, and my heart lifted. No matter how I had acted before, I was glad to see him. More than glad.

Ginny dashed into the room, her face terrified. She stopped abruptly at the sight of Harry.

"Harry…" She murmured. Every one looked at her, then at Harry, then back again.

"Anyone would think I wasn't her brother." Ron whispered to Hermione.

"She's got loads of them though, but there's only one Harry." I quipped, laughing.

"Snape knows. He knows you've been spotted in Hogsmeade. He knows you're here." Ginny was positively shaking in her shoes. I pitied her, but also empathised with her. Harry strode away with Ron and Hermione in tow. He turned to them, muttering something about doing it alone, and ran off down the corridor. We all looked around at each other for a second, stunned. A loud bell clanged throughout the school, summoning us to the Great Hall. _Oh no._

Dean

I have to admit that my return wasn't quite as I had anticipated, but I hoped to redeem myself some how - but for what I was redeeming myself I wasn't certain.

We all ran to the Great Hall, hearts in our mouths. Whenever Snape had wanted anything of us before, it was never good, even before he was headmaster. Struggling to get our robes on and in good order, we herded through the corridors, each and ever one of us scared for our lives; and trust me, that was not an overstatement.

We lined up in our houses, youngest at the front. I thought that was a little unfair; the little ones had never experienced the tutoring of Dumbledore, and all they had known was Snape's strictness and the Carrow's cruelty. They stood, heads down, in the front lines, cowering under the stare of Professor Snape, and smiling under the gentle gaze of McGonagall. _She so should have been Headmistress._

Snape's voice sliced through the thick silence, leaving students swaying in it repercussions.

"… if anyone knows anything of Potter's whereabouts, I need you to tell me, and if you are found to have such knowledge and do not come forward, you shall be punished," He began to walk slowly through the students, holding his gaze on those of Cho, Ernie, Neville… until Harry burst from his position among us, and waves of gasps echoed throughout the room. Snape's eyes narrowed, and he drew his wand, students rushing to get out of the way. McGonagall appeared out of nowhere, wand drawn and a steely glare on her face. Screams pierced my ears as everyone tripped over themselves to get out of the way, even more terrified of her with a wand in her hand, than Snape with one in his. They stared each other down for a moment, before McGonagall advanced, red sparks shooting from the tip of her wand. Snape deflected them with ease, but he clearly received her message; she was not letting him harm Harry or anyone else without a fight. Suddenly, streams of magic flew from each of their wands meeting in the centre of the room, loud crackles bouncing off the walls. Snape's face was contorted, the muscles in his jaw tense. The green light from his wand faltered, and McGonagall's red magic pushed him back, his feet slipping on the stone floor. With a shout, Snape flicked his wand to the side, and a wave flowed through the thread of magic between them, snapping it into one of the walls. Students dived out of the way to avoid the scorching fibres; once the sparks died away, the wall was black and crumbling from the force of the blow. Everyone gaped at the professors; the fight we were facing was suddenly all too real.

Seamus

It was terrifying, but we all stood our ground, even the first years had determined grimaces on their small faces. It was almost comical to witness, but we were all a little distracted by the cat-fight going on in the centre of the Great Hall.

 _Students of Hogwarts…_ a cold voice hissed in my head, and I looked around me with wide eyes, fear rising in me. _I am coming… I am coming with my army, but I need not harm you…_ a first year screamed, and everyone's head snapped towards the sound as if it only confirmed what we feared. _Give me Harry Potter… give him to me and no one shall harm you… you will even have a place in the wonderful world I shall build… but only if you give him to me… give him to me, and no one will die…_ another girl screamed, covering her ears. I felt like doing just the same, but I had to stay strong, I had to fight it; we all did.

"What are you waiting for? Grab him?" Pansy Parkinson, a horrible Slytherin girl, shouted. Ginny gasped, shooting daggers at her in a glare, and marched over to Harry, standing in between him and Pansy. The other girl snickered, but then Neville and Luna joined Ginny alongside the Patel twins, forming a protective circle around him. I glanced at Dean, and he nodded. Neville smiled sadly at us as we stood with them, united in a purpose; our purpose in this war was to protect Hogwarts, and Harry, at all costs.

 _You have one hour… I will be waiting in the Forbidden Forest… come alone, Harry Potter, and only one shall die…_

I shivered, and I felt Dean tense beside me. I linked my pinky finger with his for the second time that day. I just had to be as close to him as I could, knowing that we would be separated all too soon. It was hard to love someone in a war; harder than anything I had known, even harder than telling Dean I loved him.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," said Professor McGonagall in a clipped voice. "You will leave the Hall first with Mr Filch. If the rest of your house could follow." The rest of Hogwarts cheered as the Slytherins pushed past us with sneers on their faces. Our unexpected joy was cut brutally short as Harry wrestled his way through us, and ran to the doors.

"Harry!" Ginny yelled, horror stricken. I grabbed her arm as she started towards him, and she looked back at me in despair.

"There's nothing we can do," I murmured, "He'll… he'll be back, I know it." I smiled weakly, trying and failing to console my friend.

 _He's not coming back._

Dean

I could almost read Seamus' mind as he whispered to Ginny, and I tried to keep my heart from sewing itself on my sleeve. I knew Seamus thought Harry wasn't going to return, and in all truth, neither did I. Of course, I always had faith in Harry, and that would never break, but there is a limit to how much you can believe. He had just gone to fight off the darkest wizard to have ever lived, even worse than Grindelwald, who Dumbledore defeated, and surviving him once… that was… _luck? Fortune? A happy coincidence?_ Who knew, but it certainly wasn't likely to happen again. I sighed, and our tight circle dispersed to prepare for the Death Eater's invasion. Seamus and I got caught up in the swarm of Hufflepuffs sorting out who would go where. My ears caught the conversation of a couple of third year girls;

"… we need to stick together, Fi… if we die, we die together." One said, the determination on her face almost overshadowing the fear in her eyes.

"Always." The other Hufflepuff replied, her mouth set in a grim line. These girls were fourteen years old, yet they were willing to put their lives down for their school, their friends, and ultimately, the people who had become their family. Their bravery struck a chord in me, and I was all the more set on protecting everyone I could. I finally made it out of the doors, and pushed my way to a wall in order to stop and search for Shay. My eyes scanned over everyone's heads in the bustling crowd, but found everything but the soft, sandy hair that I loved to run my fingers through. I looked around for another minute, but swiftly decided that I was merely procrastinating. _Get on with it, Dean! The sooner you find some evil guys to fight, the sooner you'll see him again… probably…_ _No! Don't think like that, it'll all be ok._

I took a deep breath and joined the crowd of students old enough to fight, and prayed that none of the first, second or third years would die in this war. It wasn't their fight; they hardly understood why we were fighting. I cuckold bitterly to myself, ashamed slightly of my underestimation of the younger ones. I knew really that they would fight if they could, and that they would die for their school, and that's all they needed to know. My thought were cut short as a strong, stubby hand caught my arm and pulled me roughly to the side.

"I've heard a lot about you since we last met, Thomas," Mad Eye Moody grunted, "We need you."

We reached an opening in the wall at the end of a corridor, and watched the disaster unfurling below us. Students and teachers alike were running franticly around, trying their best to help. I spotted Ron's mother, Molly Weasley, shooting short spells out of the end of her wand. I followed the stream of light and my eyes almost popped out of my skull. Rivers of blue were flowing up from places around the school, each of them contributing to an ocean of shimmering spells coating the school in a protective shield, stopping the Death Eaters from entering. I grinned, before my mood was soured by the distressing realisation that it wouldn't hold for long. Once they got in, the war would truly begin. Kingsley Shacklebolt came up behind us with Lupin, worry creasing his brow.

"Tell Professor McGonagall Remus and I can handle this side of the castle." He said, his hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, sir." I replied, turned away from the window. Kingsley got a glimpse of that was happening down below, and he frowned like a man trying to lift a nail out of plank with telekinesis.

"Hey, Dean, on second thoughts, tell Professor McGonagall we might need one or two more wands this side." I nodded, and strode off down the corridor. I ran through the school until I found her outside directing a few Ravenclaws to a tower in order to pour hot oil on the Death Eaters. _Doing it the old-fashioned way… I like it._ She turned and jumped at the sight of me.

"Oh, Thomas, don't sneak up on a witch like that." she gasped, holding a hand to her heart.

"I apologise, Professor. Mad Ey… Professor Moody and Professor Lupin require a few more wands over on the right side of the castle." McGonagall nodded briskly, and been to turn away, a clear dismissal. I lunged forward and caught her arm, something I had never done before. My eyes widened, and I retracted my arm, cringing. McGonagall turned back towards me, a thin eyebrow raised. I flustered, before finding my words.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I was just wondering if you'd seen Seamus?" I asked wearily, my eyes downward.

"He's… oh, Dean, I'm afraid I've sent him to do something that no one else could do. I had no choice! It had to happen, and he was the only one who could…" My eyes slowly raised as her words sunk in.

"What exactly was it you sent him to do, Professor?" I asked slowly.

"I sent him to… I sent him to blow up the bridge." She replied sullenly, shame colouring her voice. My heart dropped.

"And he's on that bridge?!" I almost screamed. McGonagall flinched, and I regretted shouting. "I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall. Is he on the bridge?" I asked more calmly, even though my heart was hosting a rock concert in my chest.

"Yes." She replied simply, her head bowed. I couldn't wait a second more; I had to get to him before he blew himself into oblivion.


	15. Chapter 15

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Fifteen

Seamus

I led Neville, Ginny and a few other DA members onto the bridge. Neville limped to the edge, peering outward, marvelling at the bombardment above.

"That's it. I want a charge on each and every joist." I ordered, deciding that enough was enough with these monsters. They were going down. Neville turned to face us, worry creasing his young face. I directed Katie, Cho and Nigel in placing charges on key pressure points. They ran off, eager to help out in the fight. Like McGonagall said, I did have a certain talent for blowing things up, and I needed them to help me. _Not like I've needed much help before._

"You do know what you're doing, don't you, Seamus?" Neville asked wearily.

"Of course!" I winked, giving him a thumbs-up. I was enjoying myself immensely, perhaps inordinately so, but anyways. Neville exhaled, shaking his head.

"Blimey," He muttered, chuckling nervously. I laughed madly, and gave the two minute signal.

"You going to be alright, Neville?" I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, go do your thing." He smiled, looking down at me. I nodded, turning, but then a wall of noise washed over me, and I stopped, staring wide-eyed beyond the shield. The Dark Lord's army was charging at us, yells of rage bombarding our ears. We stumbled back, a sudden doubt that the shield wouldn't hold coming over our minds. The first man hit the shield, and nothing but dust came through the other side. The others back peddled, their shouts dying in the wind. We stood there, stunned, until Neville pushed me back blindly, his eyes fixed on the army. I ran down the bridge to join Katie at her position. She was to blow first, Cho would follow, and Nigel would deliver the final, fatal explosion. A flash of red hair caught my attention; Ginny was still on the bridge.

"Ginny!" I yelled, "Get off the bridge!"

"Neville's still here!" She shouted back, "He can't do this alone!" I heard Neville say something to Ginny, and she responded with a wail, and hugged him tightly. Neville pushed her back, and she ran off. I saw her join Cho, and I gave the signal. Neville began to hurl threats, curses and whatever else he could think of at the army waiting beyond the shield. They're faces were stuck in expression of horror, anger and slight amusement. Neville was doing his best, but his insults were started to be really very weak. I tore my eyes from the hoard, and ice tumbled through my veins at the sight of the shield splintering and falling. The army of snatchers and Death Eaters simultaneously glanced up; it was a very eerie sight as they all smiled in sync. The leader stepped forward gingerly, planting his foot solidly on the ground. His eyes found Neville's, and my heart seemed to get stuck in between my ribs.

"Blow it! BLOW IT!" I screamed over the noise of running and shouting of the army as they scrambled towards the bridge sand Neville. Katie yelled the spell I'd given her, and a ball of fire shot toward the bridge. Cho gave a start, and flicked her wand, unsure of herself. Nigel brought his arm up, and shouted the charm, a grimace on his face. The foundations of the bridge began to tumble down, Death-Eaters wailing as they fell alongside them. Neville shot spells over his shoulder as he ran. Ginny and I sprinted up there, wands at the ready.

"Seamus, no!" _Dean?_ I shook it off, putting it down to my conscious warning me. We ran down the bridge, firing spells either side of Neville. He was quickly running out of time before the whole bridge fell, and sure enough…

"Neville!" Ginny yelled, horror widening her eyes. We leaned as far as we dared over the splintered edge of the bridge, jumping as a hand glassed the rim, a wand rolling to stop just by our feet. A second hand gripped the edge, and to our immense relief, Neville's head popped up over the edge, and he pulled himself up on his forearms.

He grimaced; "That went well."

Dean

Either he didn't hear me or was ignoring me, and I wasn't about to dismiss the latter. I knew then that I needed to truly make us official before the fight began. There was something I had to do. I ran to the pitching, and grabbed a small, sharp knife, fear that I wouldn't be able to… _No, you will. You'll get there._ I bounded up each staircase with newfound energy each time, fear fuelling my run. I flung myself on my bed, wondering how I had forgotten about this. Directly under the _SB, RL,_ I carved a rough heart shape, rough around the edges in my haste, with an uneven _DT_ next to an equally irregular _SF._ There was no time to admire my handiwork; I rushed out of the dorm, stopping in the doorway to scan the place where so many ups and downs had occurred in my life at Hogwarts. I exhaled strongly as if blowing the distracting memories away. There was a job to be done.

I ran in the direction of shouting and the sound of spells ricocheting off walls, prepared to join the fight once more.

Death Eaters everywhere, screams of panic and pain cutting me to the core. I sprinted through the chaos, resorting to punching a Snatcher when he tried to grab at me. I had made it into the corridors, but that wasn't much of an improvement. A tall man with long blond hair rounded the corner, franticly looking left and right. I stunned him before he could do anything more, and went to run towards my fellow students, when a cry stopped me in my tracks. I turned to see Draco Malfoy bent over the blonde wizard I'd just stunned, trying desperately to get him to stand up. He glared at me menacingly, hate burning in his eyes.

"What. Did. You. Do?" He hissed, emphasising each word.

"He's the enemy, Malfoy," I shrugged, wand raised. "And I guess you are too. Avifors!" Malfoy stumbled in his mad dash towards me, but he never got the chance to hit the ground. His body, twisted in the air, becoming smaller with every rapid turn, until a blackbird flitted in his place. The bird squawked in terror, and flew clumsily away, glancing back at me with eyes like beads.

We had all gathered outside of the ruin that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I tried to find Seamus, but he was nowhere to be seen. Hagrid was walking slowly towards us, his footsteps thundering throughout the clearing.

"Who's that Hagrid's carrying?" Neville muttered, his face slowly dropping. An ear splitting scream resounded through the courtyard, and I felt shock like never before when I found that it came from Professor McGonagall. Voldemort stalked out into the middle of the space between the Death Eaters and us.

"Harry Potter," he called, "is dead!"

"No!" Ginny screamed, and Ron held her back, dread a thick mask on his face.

"Now then," Voldemort began, smiling coldly, "If you do not wish to die, join me now, or you _will_ be killed."

No one moved, until Draco, back in his usual form, stepped forward, fear in his eyes. His mother was gripping her husband's arm; I noticed he was swaying a little of his feet from the Stunning spell I'd hit him with.

"Ah, Draco," Voldemort met him in the centre of the clearing, and took him in his arms. Malfoy did not return the embrace, and looked thoroughly uncomfortable. "Go and join your parents, my boy." The Dark Lord pushed him towards the Death-Eaters, and his mother quickly grabbed him, holding him to her.

"Anyone else?" The silence that followed was deafening, until none other than Neville limped forward, blood trickling from a wound on his head. The hoard of Death Eaters began to mutter and titter among themselves. "Well, boy, I'm sure we can find a place for you somewhere." Voldemort laughed, his face stretching into something akin to a smirk.

"No," Neville said, simply but firmly, "I will never join you, and neither will anyone who knew what Harry stood for, and who he truly was. He will live on, in here," he continued, placing a fist above his heart, "We will never forget him, and we will fight until we know that we had achieved what he wanted to achieve, because he was Harry Potter, and there is no one more noble than him." Everyone stood quietly, staring at Neville in disbelief and awe. Our eyes only found another place to rest when Harry suddenly sprung to life, rolling from Hagrid's grip, running into the castle. We all stood stoic for a second, before startling, grins forming on our faces. The Death-Eaters roared in fury, and charged at us once more. We fought as hard as we could, but eventually I grabbed Neville and pulled him into a corridor where those who were fighting weren't doing so well. I glanced around whenever I could spare a second to look for Seamus; he had to be somewhere.

Seamus

I couldn't see Harry anywhere, and no one else could by the looks of it. My heart sank. _Really? He just came back from the dead, and now he's fighting The Dark Lord again?_ I ran through the courtyard, firing spells each and every way, adrenaline rushing through my veins. I had to see Dean again. A Death Eater stood behind an open chest in the open corridor next to me, before running off, terror in his eyes. I shot a curse at him, and he fell like a log, shaking. I turned and stared at the chest, before becoming extremely distracted by what was in front of it. Dean lay on the floor, the life visibly dripping out of his body, bloody slashes growing all over his body. I ran to him, kneeling by his side. His breath came in short, raspy gasps, and my heart stilled alongside his. I was stunned, until agony rushed into me, bowling me over. I sobbed over his body, screaming in agony for the love that I never truly told him of. My head was lowered as tears dripped from my cheeks onto Dean's dead body. I was numb to the arms wrapping themselves round the chest, pulling me from him. I howled, my pain too raw to be shown. I was roughly turned around, and I shut my eyes tightly, my heart broken in two.

"Riddikulus." _It couldn't be._ Gentle hands pushed me round, but I couldn't bear to see the lifeless body of the one who's voice was ringing in my ears. "Open your eyes, Seamus. It was a boggart. I'm here, Shay, and I'm not going anywhere."I peeled my eyes open, the tears lingering there. Dean's body was gone.

"Who took him…" I whispered weakly.

"No one, Shay, I'm here. Look at me." Dean murmured in my ear, holding me tightly. I cried into his shoulder, gripping his back as he whispered to me. Rubble exploded next to us, and I was shocked back into reality. I dragged Dean behind a pillar, and kissed him passionately, salty tears mixing in between our lips. His mouth was soft, familiar, home. It was the kind of kiss that could save a life; and I think it did. I hugged him for as long as I could, before he pushed me away, saying something about Lavender being in trouble, before running off to help.

"What about your wand?" I called meekly, my emotions still a wreck. I had to go and help him. He could die if I didn't. I took a deep breath, and wired around the pillar, searching for Dean. I spotted him throwing a large piece of rubble at none other than Fenrir Greyback, yelling at him to get off of Lavender. She lay on the floor, tears and blood mixing beneath her head. Rage filled my like an overflowing river, and I charged, screaming. I was almost there when a great force rammed into me from the side, and I was knocked on my shoulder. I groaned, rolling over where I lay in a great pile of what used to be a statue of a knight. I opened my eyes, and began to get up, determined to carry on fighting. I caught sight of Dean, faring well without a wand - for now. A green flare of light hit him square in the back, and he stood there for a second as if nothing had happened. Slowly, he dropped the ceramic mass he was holding, and he keeled over, blood seeping through his ripped shirt. I screamed, a hoarse, cruel sound. Agony conquered my rage; it felt as if my heart was ripped in two. I stumbled over to where he lay, no longer concerned about the spells flying every which way. All I knew, all that was in my mind, was Dean.

Dean

Pain. Unimaginable pain, spreading like ice throughout my body. It felt as if I was on fire, yet freezing at the same time. Darkness invaded my mind, and I found I couldn't open my eyes. I felt hands searching my back, turning me over. Bright light seared my retinas, but my lids still did not open. Everything was muffled, the screams of the injured, the shouting of spells, the blatant suffering of… _Seamus?_

"Please, Dean… no no no, please no… you can't die... I can't live if you aren't with me!" He sobbed, his head on my chest. I tried to comfort him, in any way possible, even to lift a finger if that's what it took. Air rushed into my body, and I felt as if I was floating, weightless. My eyes fluttered open, and I was met with a sight that would scar me forever. Seamus, bloody and bruised, weeping over my own limp body, broken and battered amidst the destruction.

"No," I breathed, "No! I won't leave him! Please, I'll do anything!" I lifted my head and yelled towards the dark clouds, unable to think of anything more to do while I drifted slowly higher. "Anything!"

" _Anything at all?_ " A deep voice rumbled through me, making my chest vibrate. I overcame the shock in moments, desperation clawing at my chest.

"Yes! Yes, anything."

" _Give me your sight, and you may return to him._ " The voice was taunting me, mocking me, seeing how far I could go. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. I had no choice.

"What? I… Yes, okay. I… I said anything, didn't I?"

 _"You did,"_ the voice laughed, a decidedly odd sound, _"You will return blind, but only once you lie amongst the dead, and he can freely mourn without the Dark Lord killing any others."_

"He will die?" I wondered aloud, shocked, "Well, that's great, I guess. When can I go back?"

" _Well…"_ The voice chuckled, " _You may not have noticed, but time has moved rather quickly as we've been talking, and you are actually about to be picked up by none other than Neville Longbottom; one of the 'cleanup' committee, I gather."_

"How can you joke about that?" I gasped, flabbergasted. "He'll think I'm…" I turned, and saw people dashing about, until suddenly, time slowed back to normal speed. Neville was limping slowly, scanning the floor for corpses. His eyes landing on my mangled body, and I sucked in a breath. He stopped, and put a hand to his mouth.

"Dean," He whispered. His voice rang in my head as clear as day, even though he seemed so far away. "Seamus…" He scrubbed his hand over his face, smudging the tears trickling from the corners of his eyes. My heart clenched as he stumbled over to me, grief written over his face, and knelt, his head hung. He took me in his huge arms, and lifted me, his face still hidden from view. Neville's tears dripped onto my chest as he walked slowly towards the building, sadness making his every step heavier.

 _"It is time for you to go, it would seem,"_ the once rumbled through me, and I tore my eyes from Neville. _"Go, and please do not come back for a good eighty years, alright, kid?"_ I laughed bitterly, willing myself back into my body. Before the sense of lightness and freedom took over me once more, I took my last look at what life, death, and all that came in between looked like.


	16. Chapter 16

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Sixteen

Seamus

I stumbled away from Dean's body, grief racking my body; forced to return to the fight, I found Neville among the throng of Death Eaters and students, and fought all the harder. I screamed in rage, and yelled in anger, agony piercing my soul and spurring me on in equal measures. I cursed my heart out, and even wrestled a Death Eater to the ground, pummelling his face with my bare hands, revelling in the feel of his nose crushing beneath my fists, before Neville roughly pulled me back, empathy and sadness clouding his eyes.

"I know you hate them, Shay, but lets stick to wands, okay?" He shouted over the noise.

"Yes, but-" I was cut off by a giant force slamming into the side of my face, making my stumble and trip over the rubble. The wizard I'd beaten up had stood up, wiping the blood from his face with a sleeve. I struggled to regain my footing, vertigo bewildering me. I watched the Death Eater stalk towards me with a sadistic sneer on his face, only to be met with…

"Crucio!" Neville yelled, anger distorting his boyish features. I was truly shocked; I didn't think he had it in him. Neville's face instantly went slack, and he absent-mindedly helped me up, staring at the writhing body of the Death Eater in front of us.

"Wow, Neville, I…" I began, stunned.

"I can't believe I just did that." He muttered, shell-shocked. No wonder; he had just cast an Unforgivable Curse.

"Come on, there aren't many of them left. Let's- Merlin, is that Malfoy's parents?" He stared out onto the battle field. I followed his gaze to see Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy running madly into the courtyard, shouting for their son. Death-Eaters and Hogwarts personnel alike shot spells at them, but they carried on running, Narcissa especially. Panic fuelled her sprint as she looked for her son, probably frightened that he was… _dead._ Fresh waves of torment washed over me, but I shook them off, determined to do Dean proud wherever he was. I would not let him die in vain.

It was over. Ginny, Luna, Ron, Hermione and I walked slowly through the battlefield, broken glass crunching beneath our feet. We gazed upon the destruction and death that lay before us. Neville was among the few who had volunteered to collect the dead. It was truly devastating to see the extent of the damage, to the school, and to the people who called it home. Pain clouded my mind as I turned and ran to the Great Hall, spotting Neville as I ran.

"Have you seen him?" I gasped at the immense sadness in his eyes.

"I just carried him in." A lone tear dripped from Neville's eye, but I couldn't stop to console him. I had to find Dean.

Dean

 _Ugh._ I felt my heart slowly begin to beat, the blood trickling through my veins. My eyes felt as if tar had settled over them, sticking the lids together. My senses went into overdrive as my body slowly reawakened; every sound was magnified, the ground beneath me hard against my back, the soft hands pressing my chest, and the droplets hitting my face. I tried to lift my hand to wipe them away, but I could not get further than twitching my fingers. A gasp rang through my head, and I knew Seamus was there.

"Dean?" His shaky, grief-wracked voice shook my very foundations, and my eyes shot open, eager to be blessed with the sight of him once more. Another gasp, and a cry. I knew my eyes were open, yet Seamus' face did not fill my vision. It was only blackness, everywhere.

"Shay?" I whispered, trying to sit up. Seamus' hands found my back, helping me. I lifted my hands and tried to find his face, to know he was there. My fingers found his soft, wet cheek, and I smiled.

"Your eyes…" He breathed. I didn't need to see his face to know he was in unimaginable pain, pain beyond anything I'd ever felt, and that's saying something.

"I made a deal with the devil, so to speak," I joked, smiling through the pain. "I was dead, Shay, but I couldn't leave you behind. I couldn't come back, unless… unless I lost my sight." I explained, my voice cracking. Seamus' forehead found mine, and we cried together, because all that mattered was that we had each other, even if things weren't as they were.

"Dean?" Neville's shocked voice found my ears, and I turned towards the sound. "Dean! Oh, Merlin, don't do that to me ever again." I could visualise him leaning against the wall, an exasperated smile on his face.

"It's good to see… to hear your voice, Neville." I said sadly.

"What do you… oh," I hated to hear him so downhearted, "What happened?"

"Lets just say that whilst you were carrying me in here, I was having a little chat with the man upstairs." I said pensively.

Seamus

Happiness filled me at the sight of my beautiful Dean alive, but, then again, happiness always did have a price. I guided Dean outside, hoping that everyone would be accepting of us. Everyone stood outside, talking quietly in small groups.

"Um, guys?" I called out, cringing slightly when almost everyone turned our way. "We, uh, have something to tell you."

"What is it, Seamus?" Luna asked pointedly, a knowing smile on her sweet face.

"As you may have noticed, I have gone blind," Dean said boldly, and gasps resounded around the space. "However, I will not let this stop me from living my life, and Seamus is a huge part of that." I smiled at him, even though he couldn't see me. His face turned down towards me, his milky eyes looking straight at me, as if he really was looking at me. "I know where home is, and it is right here, right now, and I wouldn't change a thing." He whispered. His hands found my face, and he kissed me powerfully, yet softly, his lips telling me that he still saw me, even if his eyesight was taken. He saw my soul, and he didn't need to see my face to know me. A cheer cut through my thoughts, and I broke off the kiss, suddenly remembering where we were. I blushed as all of our friends clapped and cheered, smiles replacing tears. I knew they were still hurting inside, but I was grateful that they found it in their hearts to be happy for us.

"They've been together this whole time?" Harry's voice called out, making Luna laugh loudly.

"Yes, Harry, hadn't you noticed?" Poor Harry looked so astounded, but I knew he'd get used to it eventually. A hush swept through the space, and the smiles dropped off everyone's faces. I turned around, and gasped. Draco Malfoy stood, blood staining his white shirt, shadows under his eyes. I dragged Dean to the side, stumbling to get out of his way as he walked slowly towards the crowd, pain akin to ours clear on his face. He stopped halfway, as if unable to continue. Eyes glazed, he whispered,

"Forgive me."

His nerve was unreal, I had to give him that.

"It's because of you that my brother is dead!" Ron roared, pushing through the crowd, "You traitorous bastard! You are a murderer." His voice turned cold as he pushed his face close to Malfoy's, eyes glinting.

"| know," Malfoy breathed, "Forgive me." Ron slapped him hard across the face, the sound ringing out like a gunshot.

"Stop, Ron."

Luna strode up to Malfoy, pushing Ron out of the way, and hugged him lightly, her pale hands resting on his shoulder blades. He didn't respond for a second, shock freezing him in place. Slowly, unsure, he wrapped his arms around her, a ghost of a smile flitting over his face. Luna whispered something in his ear, and he tensed, before hugging her harder, tears forming in his eyes. Ron's face portrayed disbelief, and anger, but his fury quickly melted away as Luna held Draco in her arms.

Draco

"I see you," she breathed in my ear, her sweet voice infiltrating the walls I had learnt to build, "I know who you really are, Draco. Maybe he is the boy who lied, but you are the boy who _had no choice._ " Her words vibrated through my whole body, and I didn't know how to react. _She… she saw me? But… no one_ truly _saw me, they only thought they did; but then again, Luna never was like everybody else._ I squeezed her in my arms, and it felt so good to have someone there for the first time in so long.

"Why are you… how do you…" I could't even get the words out. Luna pulled back from me, smiling.

"Even if a snake is not poisonous, it will always act as if it has venom in it's fangs," she said kindly, her eyes twinkling. She took my hands in hers, and did something I never expected of her. She wrapped my hands around her own neck, settling my thumbs around her spinal chord, "You are not poisonous, Draco. You are… you are a snake in the grass who knows he could kill the harmless bunny if he chose to… but… you have the poison, Draco… you have it in you, but… you won't kill the bunny, will you, Draco?" She kept smiling, baring herself to me in a way no one else had. She was offering her life to me, trusting me not to take it. My hands tightened voluntarily, ad she gasped, sparks of fear igniting her eyes.

"Draco, no!" Hermione ran forward, gripping my forearm with her small hands. I let go of Luna, taking Hermione's hands in my own. Luna stumbled back, gasping.

"I'm so sorry, Luna, I-"

"No," she rasped, still smiling gently at me, "You did wonderfully." She glided away to join Neville, who held her highly in his arms.

"Draco, I can't believe what just happened, I'm so sorry for everything, I-" I cut her off with a scalding kiss, relishing the feel of her mouth hot against mine. She sighed into my lips, relaxing into my arms. I smiled through the kiss, hoping that it felt as right for her as it did for me. I loved her with everything I had, and I wasn't going to give her up for anything.

"Draco Malfoy is not a bad person," Luna announced from where she stood with Neville, "I forgave him, and so should you. Everyone makes mistakes-"

"One hell of a mistake, letting Death Eaters into the castle!" Someone called out.

"Shut up!" I'd never heard Luna sound so angry, "Harry Potter may be the boy who lived, but Draco Malfoy is the _boy who had no choice_!"

Neville

Merlin, did I love Luna. She was incredible to an extent I didn't even know was possible. She had just stood up for Draco bloody Malfoy, and done an amazing job of it too. No one there in that moment would have even thought forgiveness was an option, but Luna had changed their minds. She was right about him, and I was right about her. She looked up at me smiling, and I couldn't stop myself. I took her small frame in my arms and kissed her passionately, pouring all my love and affection for her into hat one kiss. I knew she was the one for me, and no one could change my mind on that.

Luna

Who knew Neville was such a good kisser?


	17. Chapter 17

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Seventeen

Seamus

Love did always prevail, in the end. I mean, Hermione and Draco? No one saw that coming, but it was cute all the same. Neville and Luna… honestly, everyone saw that coming, but it was great to see it finally happening all the same. My smile faded as I looked at Ron, who was looking a lot less downhearted than I had thought he would have been. I always though he and Hermione would end up together, but… _okay then, now he's snogging Padma Patil. I guess that's why he's not too sad about Hermione and Draco ending up together._ I turned my head to find Dean's face inches from mine, a small smirk on his face.

"I love you," He breathed, before finding my face with his hands.

"I love you too, Dea."

" _Kiss him, kiss him, kiss…"_

"Really?" I laughed. Luna, Neville, Hermione and Draco stood there, excitement plastered on their faces. Well, Draco just looked mildly amused, and I imagined he had only come along to humour Hermione. "Okay, fine." I giggled a little, and they cheered.

"Kids, huh?" Dean whispered?

"Yeah…" I kissed him slowly, lovingly, joyously. The voices of my friends drowned out as Dean's lips moved against mine. I could feel him smiling, just as I was. He broke off the kiss, and my eyes opened to see him frowning.

"What's wrong?" My heart dropped like a stone.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see you before I…"

"Dean?" He was scaring me, and I really didn't like it.

Dean

I hated being in the dark; literally. I had to do something about it, whether it be scouring the Earth for someone who could help me, or… or making another deal with 'the man upstairs'. Well, he ain't so heavenly, I'll tell you that. I had to rely on what I could hear, and what Seamus told me. Sure, it was great to have him there to help me, but I had never truly appreciated what it meant to be able to see the world for myself, instead of through his voice.

"Thank you for being here, and helping me through this." I said, my voice cracking.

"Dean, what are you-"

"Shay, I love you. if this doesn't work out, don't do anything crazy, okay?" I knew what I was about to do was crazy, and there was so much that could go wrong, but I had to try.

"Dean?" Seamus whispered, and my heart broke.

"Shay… I want you to kill me." I winced at his sharp intake of breath, and heard the crunch of gravel and he stumbled back.

"What?" He breathed.

"He can't do that!" Ron called out from somewhere nearby. I hadn't noticed him, but then again… how could I have done.

"Ron's right, Dean… I-I can't do that." Seamus said shakily, but defiantly. He took my hand, and I squeezed it.

"If you don't, I might never be able to see you again, Shay, and… and I can't live with that, okay?" A tear ran down my cheek, but he brushed it away with his thumb.

"Do you have any idea what that would do to me? I've already seen you die twice… to see it again, and by my own hand, no less, would…"

"Would what?" I whispered, almost not wanting to heat the answer.

"It would make me want to jump right into oblivion with you, Dean." He muttered, leaning his forehead to mine. I heard a gasp and a cry somewhere near us.

"If you can't do it Seamus, I will if you like." A sweet voice wafted towards us, and I couldn't believe my ears.

Seamus

"Luna, you… you would do that for us?" I said, stepping away from Dean. He found the wall with his fingertips, leaning against it. I tore my gaze from him, and looked into Luna's smiling eyes.

"Before the war, I made sure I had a few spells memorised… you know, some of the less painful ones." She said innocently. Hermione's eyes widened, and Draco looked plain astounded.

"You found spells to kill people _painlessly_?" He breathed, his face slack. Luna giggled, nodding. Neville, bless him, was so mesmerised with her; he clearly adored and loved Luna with al he had, and I empathised with him. He walked over to her, putting an arms round her shoulders.

"So you… you could k… you could do it without him feeling anything?" I asked warily, my eyes downcast.

"Yes," She said, taking out her wand, "It would be over very quickly. I can also cast a little charm I read somewhere that would guide him towards where he needs to go, if you like."

"That would be perfect, Luna, thank you." Dean spoke up from where he stood, and I went over to help him towards the others. Luna placed a small hand on his cheek, and he smiled.

"Let's get this over with, shall we? I want to spend as little time with this guy as I can." He joked, looking up at the sky. We all stepped away from them, and Hermione came over to me, giving me a reassuring hug.

"It'll be okay." She whispered, just before releasing me. I gave her a grateful smile, and turned my attention to Dean.

Luna held her wand lightly in her hand, her eyes closed. She was murmuring an incantation I had not heard before, drawing shapes in the air with her wand.

"Seamus?" She called, not losing concentration for a second. I rushed to her side.

"Be ready to catch him, will you?" I had barely got behind Dean when he collapsed into my arms, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"What's happening to him?" I panicked, running my hands over his chest, desperately trying to see if he was still alive.

"Seamus, get out of the way. I need to cast the last spell to kill him." Luna said with surprising bluntness. I stumbled out of the way, my eyes never leaving Dean's face. He would have looked peaceful, if it weren't for his eyeballs rolling behind their lids, giving him a mad, fevered look. It broke me to see him like this, but I knew what came next would really be the end of me.

"Mortem sine do lore." Luna whispered, twisting her wand in the air. Dean gasped, and settled. He was dead.

"It may take a while for him to come back," Luna said, her smile comforting, "Time passing quicker down here than up there." Her smile turned a little more mad, so I looked away. Neville walked passed me, patting me on the shoulder as he went. Ron smiled ruefully at me, before following him. Even Draco expressed some sort of sympathy, before eventually, I was left alone, standing beside Dean's dead body.

Dean

I felt myself floating up from my body, lighter than air. _This is a good sign, right? This is how it was before?_ I shushed my worrying mind, and focused on getting up to see… whoever it was. Still, all I saw was darkness, despite my being dead and all. I felt my body break through a barrier of some kind, and suddenly, the blanket of black that had covered my eyes was lifted; what I saw was by no means what I had been expecting. Before me lay sheets of white and blue, marble columns rising from the fluffy floors in front of temples of stone and marble. It may sounds awfully nice and heaven-like, but there is one small detail I'm missing out. Scarlet blood soaked through the pure white, streaking the columns and bathing the temples. I wandered through the ghost-town, horror gradually settling in my stomach. I turned my head, looking through the door to one of the temples; inside was something I never thought I'd see.

In front of me lay the corpse of a man who's face I had never seen before, but recognised instantly. It was the man who had stolen my sight.


	18. Chapter 18

When We Were Just Friends

Chapter Eighteen

Seamus

We carried Dean inside, not bothering to use magic. Neville helped me take him into the Gryffindor common room as Draco and Ron returned to the girls outside. We carefully laid him on his bed, and Neville left me with him, smiling ruefully.

"The love you share… I saw it straight away, you know." He said unexpectedly. I stared up at him, his wide shoulders filling the doorway.

"It was that obvious?" I grinned, looking down at Dean. He looked as if he were sleeping, though his bronze skin had dulled, and his eyeballs twitched from side to side under the lids.

"Of course," Neville laughed, "Well, perhaps not to everyone, but to Luna and I? Clear as day." He smirked, turning through the door. I sat heavily on the side of Dean's bed, studying his face. His feet dangled off the end of the bed, he was so tall. I let myself fall beside him, my head hitting the pillow. I placed a hand the other side of his chest, leaning up to press my lips to his forehead. His mouth flicked up at the edge, before turning down. I sighed, hiding my face into the crook between his neck and shoulder as I held him tightly.

I woke to creamy sunlight streaming through the window; dawn. I was still holding Dean, my arm thrown over his slim waist. His shirt had ridden up during the night, showing ropes of muscle that seemed to tense under my touch. His skin was warm, smooth. Dean and I had never… truly exposed ourselves to each other. Emotionally, or physically. I regretted never telling Dean how deeply I felt for him, even though I knew what I felt couldn't be put into words. I hadn't _seen_ any more of Dean than anyone else had; just, you know… in the summers I spent with him, he would wear the same pair of shorts that just got shorter every year. He had always been self-conscious of his body, and in all honesty, I had no idea why. Whatever he looked like, I would love him either way. As I rose, rubbing my eyes to rid them of sleep, I got a full view of Dean in all his glory. His chest was a shade lighter than his face, though the colour was blended through his neck. His whole torso was to me a work of art, sculpted from dark marble. His abs cast shadows over his stomach, making my breath hitch. I reached out a hand, before cringing. It felt… almost as if I was… taking advantage of his vulnerable state. I quickly straightened his shirt, and strode out of the room, guilt tearing at my heart.

Dean

I was shellshocked, to say the least. I hurried forwards, unsure what to do. The man in front of me was unlike any man I'd seen before. His hair was a bright silver, splayed around his head. His features were young, but his blank blue eyes held wisdom beyond youth. Around his eyes and mouth were laughter lines, faint but definite. His sharp jawline and high forehead gave his face a handsome but almost harsh look. His body was swathed in white robes, stained with blood, slashed apart.

"Who… _what_ did this?" I breathed, eyes wide. My heart felt as if it was damn close to being ripped out of my chest, and I forced myself to breathe. _Think._ I turned, striding away from the body. Stopping mere feet away, I turned back.

"What do I do?" I thought aloud, my now hoarse voice carried through the clearing, creating an eerie sound as it bounced back.

"Well, there's always the option of going back, still blind of course, but alive." _Okay, that is not my voice._

"Who are you?" I called, not sure if I really wanted to know the answer.

"Oh, just another of these voices in your head. Well, not quite still in your head, as you can see," Somehow the voice managed to gesture to the body beside me without me really seeing it, just knowing it had. _Weird._ "That, there, is greed. He was a right arse when he was alive. Of course, I sorely regret his death, but all the same… anyway, I'm Pride. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dean."

"N-Nice to meet you too, um, Pride." I murmured. _This is even crazier than my eleventh birthday._

"Ah, yes, we haven't truly met have we." The voice chuckled. A dark mist began to flood my vision, and I stumbled back. "It'll be over in a minute, Dean, it's just… it's not quite in the human capacity to witness an emotion go from their brain into something standing in front of them." Pride chortled, and, sure enough, my vision cleared to see a pale-skinned man stood before me, his deep-set grey eyes piercing mine. I did him a quick once-over. My eyes skimmed over his silver hair, slicked back in a way that reminded me of someone I knew (*cough* _Draco_ *cough*), and his tall stature, broad shoulders and narrow hips. The one thing that really caught my attention was…

"Are you wearing _rainbows?_ "

Seamus

I knew Dean would be… wherever he was for some time, even though Luna assured me that time passed so much more slowly there than it did here. It was barely an hour since Dean had… you know… yet he was probably off having afternoon tea with whoever did this to him midway through next March. The thought made me chuckle, before guilt seemed to swallow me, choking me. I could't bear to feel happiness while Dean was out there, fighting to get his sight back just so he could see me, and I was sitting there doing absolutely zip to help him. Neville ran into the common room, making me jump out of my skin. The look of sheer terror on his face froze my blood in my veins.

"What is it?" I barked, standing quickly.

"The centaurs," Neville said breathlessly, "They're revolting."

We raced outside; my heart was in my throat, and I felt as if I was about to throw up. Hermione, Draco, Ron and Harry were frantically throwing spells at the torrent of centaurs charging at the castle, while everyone else were hurriedly putting up a shield charm, just as they had against Voldemort's army the very same day. _Wow, this was not a good day for us, huh?_

"Seamus, come on!" Neville yelled, dragging me over to where Professor McGonagall stood, wand up, brow creased.

"Over there, Longbottom, help with the shield," She shouted, fretting yet somehow keeping her cool. "Finnigan, go out there with Potter and the likes and try and keep them at bay!" I nodded, and dashed off, whipping my wand out of my trouser pocket as I ran. I skidded to a halt beside Ron, and began firing spells every which way in an attempt to keep the centaurs back. Just as the shield closed up behind us, Cho sprinted past me, her wand gripped in her hand. I caught her arm desperately.

"Cho! What are you doing, you'll be killed!" I yelled above the stampede of hooves on the ground.

"I have to help!" She cried, her Scottish voice lilting, "If I die, at least I'll be with Cedric!" She wrestled free, beams of red light already streaming from her wand. She ran into the throng, and Harry screamed her name.

Before she was even halfway, I knew what was about to happen, but it didn't stop it from tearing me to the core. Cho's head was thrown back as the centaur's hoof connected with her chest; I could hear the breath being ripped from her body as she fell, and I knew she was gone. I tore my eyes from her mangled body, to see the centaur with her blood splattered over his front right in front of me. I could smell death in each breath he took, and I vowed that I would steal his last breath and give it to Cho.

"Avada Kedavra!" I screamed. The centaurs body spun into the air in a flash of green light, and dropped to the floor with a sickening thud. I snarled at the body, unable to feel remorse for what I had done. Cho's death would have to wait; I had centaurs to kill.

Dean

"Problem?" Pride raised an eyebrow. "I am called _Pride_ for a reason."

"Of… of course." I spluttered.

"Good. Now, lets meet the others."

"Hey, guys!" Pride shouted into the space. He had led me to a slightly less destroyed part of… whatever this place was called. I almost jumped out of my skin as five bodies plummeted from the sky, the ground shaking as they landed heavily, their fists denting the floor. They all stood in unison, before staring at me. I was thoroughly uncomfortable, and in shock.

"Who's this?" The tallest of the men asked, his brow furrowed.

"Wrath, this is Dean. Dean, Wrath. One thing about this guy, Dean," He said, "Is that his soul is of the night sky. The darkest ebony with mere specks of light."

"Oh, stop with the poetry, Pride." Wrath laughed, his sharp jaw slicing his face just as his harsh cheekbones did. "

"And this, Dean, is Sloth." Pride sighed.

"Dean," Sloth began slowly, "I know what you're expecting from me. Some hippy who's going to just tell you to 'chill out' all the time. I'm going to give you what I hope can be a good first impression. Dean, have you ever taken a moment to just _be?"_ Okay, that was unexpected. Sloth glanced at me, his face exasperated. I figured he'd tried this with the other six, but hadn't gotten very far. "I mean, haven't you ever been for a walk in the cold winter air, and revelled in the bite of the wind against your face? Haven't you ever been so tired after a game of Quidditch you just flopped on your bed and slept? Haven't you… haven't you ever had that feeling that if you didn't have someone, you wouldn't be yourself anymore? Those moments are what make us, Dean. Those moments… are when we can just _be._ " I turned away from him so he couldn't see my eyes glistening at the thought of the boy who's heart I had broken so many times, even if it was unintentional. Seamus had seen me get hit by spells, die more than once, watched me live some kind of half-life without my sight. I had broken him, and however hard I tried… I could never fix him again.

"How… how do I get him back?" I croaked, turning to face the remaining deadly sins. Gluttony smiled softly, her chubby cheeks dimpling.

"You can't, honey," She said sadly, "All you can do is be there as he heals." I nodded, her kind amber eyes soothing me.

"Ugh, that's ridiculous, fatso," Wrath scoffed, "Kid, all you need to do is get revenge on all those evil Death Eater guys."

"Oh, really," Lust purred, "I think Deano here should go for what he wants, and take it… oh yes…" She smiled seductively at me, reminding me so much of Harper it made me sick.

"Uh, Lust?" Envy muttered, her eyes downcast.

"What?" Lust snarled, turning her curvaceous body to face her stout companion.

"I, um… I think Dean should take a more tactical approach to this," She glanced at me shyly, and I smiled reassuringly. "If you really want your sight back Dean, all you really need to do is go get it!" She said enthusiastically, almost falling off her little cloud in her excitement. Lust rolled her eyes, her thick eyelashes reminding me of spiders as they almost touched her eyebrows.

"Uh, wasn't that what I was just saying?"

"Um, no, so why don't you just get back on cloud nine and let the professionals deal with this, alright, sweetheart?" Envy exploded, her eyes murderous as she pushed her face up against Lust's, her long hair turning a deep red as her anger flowed through her. Lust looked so terrified, I almost felt sorry for her. Envy drew back suddenly, shock plastered on her face. "I am so sorry, Lust, I…I don't know what came over me."

"Well, you are called Envy, darling, not Jealousy." Gluttony patted her on the back comfortingly.

 _Wow. This is one crazy day._


End file.
